Customer - Box Build
Developer - Vinci
Architect - HLM Architects
Installation Contractor - Stoneguard
Product - Insulated Render

The brief
To deliver a cost-effective, aesthetically pleasing and energy-efficient facade for a new 245-bed, four-storey budget hotel just yards from Gatwick Airport’s south terminal departures. Architects Scott Brownrigg replaced the original specification for an acrylic render with Aliva’s insulated render. This meant the building benefitted from a more attractive design and finish, and improved insulation fixing.

What Aliva did
The architect chose Aliva’s mineral wool insulated render system to create a first-class thermal fabric for the walls of the hotel. Rockwool panels were installed and anchored to the surfaces of the façades, using mineral adhesive mortar. While the surface was still wet, a tailored alkali-resistant, woven glass fibre mesh was bedded in, before being coated with another layer of mortar and finished off with a trowel-applied continuous layer of silicate coating and a black acrylic top coat for a luxurious looking finish.

What makes it special
The render created the ideal climatic conditions for the hotel’s external walls, while enhancing it with a flat textured finish with simple, elegant details. Heat does not escape from the walls in winter, and the insulated render minimises solar penetration in the summer, creating a comfortable environment. A key element of Aliva’s insulated render is their cold pigment finishes, which allow darker colours to reflect heat rather than absorb it, so that larger areas can be covered.

What they say
"We chose Aliva as an established supplier in the market. Their insulated render gives good flexibility in application and excellent colour options. The building ‘brand’ is very important to our client. The dark grey render for the main body of the building and mid grey render spandrels between the windows created a contemporary object. The finished building is very sharp in appearance and stands out as a crisp new piece of architecture. From the outset, the support from Aliva was very professional, offering design options for details, and acoustic and thermal performance. We look forward to working with them again." - Jason Lebidineuse, project director at Scott Brownrigg