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Seven colours of rainscreen
cladding panels from Steni UK have helped a new exemplar
centre for the performing arts become a landmark for the
community sooner rather than later. |
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The Colour panels, in colours
ranging from dark rich red through to a light yellow, were
cut to size in Steni’s factory to save time on site, then
installed in a stunning harlequin pattern to emphasise the
main body of the new Creative Media Centre at the MCE
Academy, a specialist Performing Arts College in York. |
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One of only 17 in the country to
receive grant aid from the Department for Education, the
£3million BREEAM “Very good” centre was built by main
contractor Hobson & Porter over eight months, linked to the
900-place former Manor CE secondary school that was built on
an unused agricultural field just two years earlier. |
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Architects Morgan Lloyd Jones
were unaware of Steni’s cut-to-size capability when they
involved the manufacturer in a review of rainscreen cladding
materials for the project. It was the sheer size of Steni’s
colour range - 44 standard colours and three gloss levels -
that originally impressed them. |
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Steni’s cut-to-size capability
means that panel sizes from 850mm to 3,500mm can be cut
automatically to length at no extra cost and in section
widths at a nominal charge – a facility which is believed to
be unique to Steni. All contractors need to do then is
attach the panels to the fixing system, either by screws or
structural adhesive. |
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At MCE Academy, some 700m² of
595mm x 595mm squares of Steni Colour panels, which are
manufactured from fibreglass reinforced polymer composite
with a smooth surface of 100% acrylic that is electron beam
cured without the use of solvents, were screw fixed by
specialist sub-contractor Farracrest. |
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Will Jones, of Morgan Lloyd
Jones, said: “Steni’s ability to cut the panels in the
factory is an ideal scenario for a multitude of reasons and
was certainly one of the contributory reasons why we
specified Steni. |
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“Not only does it minimise waste
and time on site, which is something all contractors are
trying to achieve, but from our point of view, this cutting
facility provides quality reassurance knowing it has been
accurately manufactured in the factory under controlled
conditions.” |
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He added: “It would have been
impossible, given the number of different colours we are
using at the creative media centre, MCE, for the panels to
have been cut anywhere but the factory due to the sheer
scale of the operation and the accuracy required to achieve
our design requirements.” |
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Morgan Lloyd Jones’ brief was to
provide an exemplar arts and media centre on the 6.5 hectare
site – a range of suitable spaces providing diploma courses
in the performing arts and industry-standard creative and
media facilities for 14 to 19-year-old students, community
arts groups and other schools. |
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The main component of the
1,650m² building is a 200-seat auditorium designed for
drama, dance and music. Two rehearsal/dance studios are
adjacent to this space, with support spaces. There are also
creative media spaces, an Apple computer training centre,
conference room, and public spaces such as a gallery and
seating areas. |
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The lightweight, 7mm-thick Steni
panels clad the central part of the building - the
auditorium and public spaces, better known as The Hive. |
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Will Jones said: “The planning
department was very enthusiastic about the approach to the
design. It was viewed as a landmark building in York due to
its location close by the ring road. The visual appearance
was an important consideration for both the image of the
city and also that of the end user. |
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“They project the symbol of The
Hive, an image full of vitality, busy movement, colour and
artistry, mirroring the users of the building. They sell the
building and its function, acting as a metaphor for the host
of activities taking place in and around. Externally, they
can be used as a backdrop for performances and as enclosures
for social and recreational activities.” |
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He added: “The visual impact of
the Steni panels is balanced by more neutral finishes to
adjacent areas of the building. The rendered panels to
adjacent building blocks are secondary to the central area
but reflect the Steni-clad area via the colour hues used.”
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