Towering above Manchester’s Salford Quays, the new Erie Basin residential development has benefitted from a rainscreen solution that offers more than just face value thanks to Sotech’s fully engineered Optima TFC cassette system, which has now received full approval from the National House Building Council (NHBC) for its weathertightness.

Offering exceptional flexibility and design potential, Sotech’s Optima TFC system was specified in pre-coated aluminium to create the attractive flat façade design of the two towers that comprise the Erie Basin scheme. To ensure the system successfully met the client’s stringent environmental targets and achieved full compliance with the necessary building regulations, Sotech took the unusual step of submitting a specimen of the through-wall construction to undergo rigorous weathertightness testing by leading research organisation BRE.

Covering the key areas of air permeability, watertightness and resistance to wind loading, the test was carried out to the requirements of BS EN 12153, 12155 and 12179 with reference to the Centre for Window and Cladding Technology’s (CWCT) standard for systemised building envelopes. Overseen by members of the project team, which included specialist contractor Lakesmere and main contractor Laing O’Rourke, the testing demonstrated that Sotech’s Optima TFC system performed sufficiently to meet both the specific needs of the Erie Basin project and to achieve full compliance with both the CWTC and NHBC requirements.

The specimen that was created for the tests also enabled Sotech and building envelope specialist Lakesmere to fine tune construction details prior to taking the system on site, therefore ensuring that the installation programme ran smoothly and to the requisite schedule.