With a façade that facilitates natural daylighting, hygiene, cleanliness and city centre views, the building will bring greater longevity to people’s lives. In addition, it is providing a significantly expanded range of accommodation for world-class diabetes and endocrinology research and other research teams. The site was originally a car showroom, which was later converted into offices for the NHS. This building was then deemed beyond repair and the NHS made the decision to demolish the building towards the end of 2019.

Groundwork for the centre began in early 2020, only for the construction to be halted when just the piling had been completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the project managed to be a great success despite the social distancing, delays and restrictions that had to be implemented during construction. The centre was the work of local contractors Zenith Developments and sub-contractors Intex Systems. As the City of Culture in 2017, the centre comes within a period of investment in the city and its surrounding areas, and its unusual façade contributes another standout part of the city.

Design Stage

The Ceramic Granite cladding was specified in Arctic White, which reflects the surrounding architecture, including the nearby Women and Children’s Hospital. This paired well with the gold framing around the windows and on the curtain walling steels above the main entrance. This colour palette also appears clean and bright, without a sterile, clinical feel, and the two-towered structure and curtain walling combination maximises daylighting in the building. The Ceramic Granite rainscreen creates a flawless finish due to its hardwearing quality, as it mimics the aesthetics of natural stone without the fissures or imperfections that come with it.

Build Stage 

The rainscreen façade was supported on a Shackerley Sureclad ‘helping hand’ system, where L-shaped brackets support vertical support rails with adjustability to accommodate building tolerances and achieve the flat tolerances required for façade finishes. Shadow gaps around the windows, both horizontally and vertically, had to be within 1 mm. The precision afforded in the manufacturing of the Ceramic Granite assisted with adhering to these tolerances. 

The centre’s location on Anlaby Road— a busy route to the city centre and the red route for accident and emergency to The Hull Royal Infirmary— meant access to the site was a challenge during the build stage. The material deliveries had to be swift. Kingspan Facades worked to arrange just-in-time deliveries, which limit the requirements for onsite storage without impacting programme delivery. This saves space onsite and enables the construction team to anticipate and plan what materials are onsite and being delivered. As well as this, the panelised system facilitated a rapid and predictable installation, which meant that the use of lifting machinery could be carefully planned in and limiting onsite disruption. 

Performance

The panels are dry pressed to extremely high pressures and fired at 1260 °C until irreversibly fused. This means that while the aesthetics mimic natural stone, it is a mechanically stronger yet lighter alternative. The natural colour will remain intact, since the facade is completely resistant to light and UV radiation. 

Ceramic Granite is manufactured in compliance with the European Ecolabel Certification scheme and holds a Euroclass A1 rating. 

The Ceramic Granite is highly resistant to a range of components including moisture, frost, algae, many acids and alkalis, and dust; therefore, it has a weather resilience and easy-to-clean quality that needs minimum maintenance once the product is installed. This is another key benefit considering the centre’s location on a prime hospital and city centre route.