Client: Sir John Dean’s College
Type of works: provided cladding materials

Sir John Dean’s College in Northwich is being completely redeveloped by ISG under a design and build contract, with the Manchester office of Broadway Malyan providing the architectural input.

The Director in Charge of the Project for Broadway Malyan, Mr Tim Brown, comments: "This is a total redevelopment of the original sixth form college, in two phases, with a new multi-functional block being built in phase one. This includes a new entrance area, a Learning Resource Centre with science blocks above, and a series of teaching blocks that span off an internal street. This is a very established college in a sensitive planning area, where they wanted to use a palette of materials which were traditional yet contemporary.

"Our original concepts, for the project employed copper cladding on the elevations, but value engineering compelled us to look at the specification again. As a result of this process, we patterned the façade with timber, Reglit insulated glazing panels instead of windows, and the Trespa on the three storey entrance area.

"We needed a cladding material which would give us the appearance of copper, yet that was affordable; and using the Trespa in two tones – the matt and the silk - as a random combination achieved this. It avoids the effect of having the solid mass of a single colour and, as you move around the building, you get the feeling that the light is changing on the material. So although this was primarily a budgetary decision it worked out well in the end."

Installed on a lightweight grid of aluminium rails, fixed back to any type of substrate or main structural frame, Trespa can be employed as a rainscreen cladding system in a wide variety of applications.

The panels themselves are a high pressure laminate, available in a full range of sizes and choice of finishes. They combine an attractive appearance and excellent physical characteristics – such as durability and resistance to UV discolouration - with the use of sustainable raw materials and low embodied energy.

Frequently seen on science parks and other commercial buildings, Trespa’s specification for Sir John Dean’s College demonstrates the product’s validity in more traditional and vernacular styles of architecture.