Client: Browns
Type of works: design, manufacture and installation of Encasement's n-case Polyma column casings for boutique department store.
Column casings from Encasement form part of the stylish transformation of a 124-year old Grade II listed corn exchange building in Beverley, East Yorkshire, into a boutique department store for family-owned prestige retailer, Browns.
Ten 200mm diameter n-case Polyma column casings from Encasement not only conceal the building’s ground-floor structural columns, but also provide a highly aesthetic finish, which integrates with the store’s high-quality interior design.
Each column casing is manufactured from glass-reinforced polymer and is finished with a high-gloss White Gel-coat, to provide a tough and durable finish. The casings are also resistant to impact and scuffing, making them ideal for high-traffic retail environments.
Although the original building, which cost only £2,000 to build in 1886, combined a corn exchange, a butter market and bath house, it was as the town’s ‘picture playhouse’ that it is best known locally, although it showed it’s last film in 2002 and had stood empty until the £2,000,000 conversion was completed earlier this year.
To create the 12,000 sq.ft of space required by Browns, the original corn exchange building and bath-house were combined and the basement was excavated to create a secure storage area, which was also subject to an archaeological dig that unearthed evidence of 16th and 17th Century market buildings.
Encasement’s Managing Director, Martin Taylor, explained: “The external brick and terracotta structure from the late 1800's doesn’t prepare you for the contrast inside the new Browns of Beverley store. The interior designers and shop fitters have done an excellent job in creating a superb retail environment and we’re delighted that some of our products are on view every day alongside brands such as Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Radley.”
He added: “Our Polyma casings have already proven popular in retail due to their durability and scope of colours as well as being suitable for both external and internal use. However, we have also found that our Lamina compact laminate range and Forma metal casings are also being used for retail and other high-traffic areas, such as leisure and public buildings, where the demand for cost-effective, decorative and durable column casing solutions is vital.”
Encasement specialises in the supply of decorative casing and protection solutions for the architectural, contracting and construction sectors. Further information on every product in the Encasement range can be obtained from www.encasement.co.uk or by calling (01733) 266889.