Solution: Elastic Bonding
Contractor: Balfour Beatty / Speedwell Roofing
SikaTack Panel Adhesive, a revolutionary cladding adhesive system that eliminates unsightly mechanical fixing system from spoiling the building envelope, has provided the ideal solution for the cladding of Huyton Arts and Sports Centre for Learning.
Part of the £150million Knowsley Schools BSF (Building Schools for the Future) programme, Huyton Arts and Sports Centre for Learning is one of seven schemes being delivered to create new facilities in the region. Each scheme has been individually designed but they all share the same principles of integrated architecture, structure and environment.
With such a focus on design, it was of paramount importance that nothing spoilt the clean lines of the cladding. SikaTack Panel Adhesive from leading building product manufacturer Sika, provided the solution.
A high performance adhesive system, it allows cladding panels to be bonded to a structure rather than being mechanically fixed. This overcomes the problem of mechanical fixtures protruding from the cladding, interrupting the appearance.
Designed by Aedas architects and built by Balfour Beatty for Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Huyton Arts and Sports Centre for Learning features a Gebrik Insulating Brick Cladding System to a level of four metres with Petrarch cladding panels from CEP Claddings covering the remainder of the building. The Petrarch panels combine the aesthetic appeal of slate or natural stone with the design flexibility afforded by a lightweight, large panel format.
Specialist contractor Speedwell Roofing and Cladding used the SikaTack Panel Adhesive to bond the panels to the structure. Using elastic bonding technology,the system requires no screws or brackets. Instead, panels are temporarily held in place using a special 3mm thick double-sided tape and the SikaTack Panel Adhesive firmly bonds the panel to the carrier frame, keeping each panel secure for decades to come.
SikaTack Panel Adhesive was also used on the nearby Halewood Centre for Learning, another project forming part of the Knowsley Schools BSF scheme.
Certified by the British Board of Agrément and accredited by the highest standard of quality assurance, ISO 9001/EN29001, SikaTack Panel was the certified choice.
The product has also been tested to extreme conditions and has been proven to last without any reduction in performance.