Steel, an economical choice for many leisure centres, made up the frame of the building. The front elevation façade provides architectural appeal, with raking columns forming a canopy signifying the centre’s entrance. Rima Yousif from Watson Batty Architects commented on the design:

“This was an unusual aspect of the project, but the modularity and flexibility of the Kingspan façade gave the team a great deal of architectural freedom.”

The sleek dark grey panel façade is interspersed with timber-toned panels on the angular building to create interest. The combination of materials reflects a contemporary yet natural architecture, matching both the leisure centre’s exterior surroundings and the sleek and minimalist interior. The high-quality aesthetics and flexibility provided by the Dri-Design Flats and Shadows allowed depth and structure to be introduced, whilst the thermally efficient QuadCore Karrier Wall Panels provide support and weather protection for the façade. The wood effect cladding was selected over natural timber due to the Centre’s riverside location, with concerns over how the moisture in the air would degrade the timber leading to the hardwearing alternative being installed.

When asked why the Dri-Design and QuadCore Karrier products were selected for this construction, Rima Yousif of Watson Batty Architects said:

“The Kingspan façade systems enabled us as architects and designers to exceed our clients' and the project team’s expectations by providing a contemporary and creative design. Additionally, Kingspan was on hand to provide technical support with the Speller Metcalfe site team throughout the build programme.”

The entrance to the leisure centre was intentionally pronounced, with the Grey 0042 Dri-Design cassettes framing the two-storey entrance to create a large canopy. The demand for modernity was achieved by the vast palette of choices Kingspan Facades had to offer.

The selection of a range of Kingspan products for the full cladding package enabled the project to be more cost-effective whilst simplifying specification and installation by being able to access a variety of different materials and finishes from the same source.

For the building’s rainscreen façade, 268 m2 of Dri-Design was fixed directly onto the QuadCore Karrier panels. Featuring a self-draining gutter which prevents a build-up of moisture within the system. Project Architect Daniel Lowe from Watson Batty Architects selected these products in part for their “low operational maintenance, due to their robust construction and weather resilience”. The Dri-Design façade directs condensation from the back of the rainscreen through an internal gutter system and allows it to drain externally at the base of the elevation. This keeps the internal wall cavity dry and prevents external streaking, which would affect the aesthetic of the building.

For projects involving Dri-Design, the cassettes are tailor-made to meet the specific requirements in size, shape, and length, which is enabled by the modularity and prefabrication of the façade system. Its innovative fixing system ensures the minimum number of components and eliminates the need for complex rail and bracket systems, so the Dri-Design façade can be installed twice as fast as comparable systems. Watson Batty Architects add: “this minimised and consolidated the construction programme”.

As a result, the project benefited from faster cladding lead times, with a weathertight building envelope being erected earlier due to the QuadCore Karrier panel providing the weathertightness performance. This meant that the leisure centre was operational sooner, as the internal fit-out could take place while the Dri-Design façade was being installed. The Karrier panels were fixed directly onto the steel frame, creating the weathertight building envelope, then the Dri-Design cassettes are fixed to the Karrier panels. The individual cassettes can be easily repaired or recoated onsite if necessary to maximise longevity and ongoing safety.

The QuadCore Karrier substructure boasts a high thermal performance, with the QuadCore insulation having a thermal conductivity (λ) of 0.018W/m.K. QuadCore insulation is almost twice as thermally efficient as mineral fibre, enabling thinner and lighter facades to be built. This superior thermal efficiency and airtightness will help to reduce operating costs for the new leisure centre in addition to improving the energy efficiency of the project. The pure aluminium Dri-Design cassettes are fully recyclable at end of life.