High performance cladding systems from Euroclad

01/10/2016

Founded in 1981, Euroclad has taken huge strides over the last 35 years, consistently investing in people and technology to satisfy customer needs. Euroclad’s metal roof and wall products provide exceptional acoustic and thermal performance for the life of a building; utilising products that are sustainably credible to deliver high performance, cost-effective solutions.

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Cutting-edge UK manufacturing maintains Euroclad’s position at the forefront of the metal roofing and cladding industry, with innovation leading to the ongoing development of products, including Elite Systems, SF500 and Vieo. These high performance systems and showcase external products have been used to achieve an attractive, striking exterior building design at the new home of ice sports in Wales.

The 6000m² Ice Arena Wales was built in the popular Cardiff Bay area of the vibrant Welsh capital, working to a design that aspired to create a world-class sports arena, boasting two ice pads and seating for 3000 spectators, with the long-term capability of facilitating World and European standard events. This aspiration was not only achieved but exceeded, aided considerably by the willingness for all construction partners to cooperate, with the aim of achieving the best possible solution. The arena opened in time for the Cardiff Devils home game against Belfast Giants in March 2016.

There were a number of challenges to overcome from the outset, primarily the choice of roof and wall products to achieve the aesthetics. It was important that the chosen solution would sit comfortably on such a high profile sporting building. Euroclad’s Vieo wall profile was chosen to help deliver the sleek, modern and unique aesthetic experience that stood out among other world-class venues.

The functional needs of the building also presented an unprecedented series of challenges, driven by the internal operational environment of the Ice Arena, specifically temperature control and noise regulation. Ultimately, the building called for an exemplar building envelope solution that delivered superior thermal insulation and acoustic reduction, which met the requirements of customers, local planning and building regulatory standards.

The combined acoustic and thermal specification of the building envelope was met by the Vieo wall construction and the Secret Fix SF500 roof, supplied as a version of Elite System 3, a defined roof system with specified performance and a system guarantee. To meet the combined requirements, Euroclad supplied attractive, high performance systems for the roof and walls of the building.

A bespoke build-up was developed which required an insulation product that could be installed on all elevations. Specified and installed as part of the roof and wall systems, the insulation needed to be of single density with a high compressive strength, without being too dense, to avoid any potential for interference with the acoustics.

Company at a glance:

Product/Service areas:

Metal roofs, walls & cladding

Sectors:

Hotels & leisure, healthcare, education, commercial, retail, residential

Contacts:

Website –

www.euroclad.com

Phone –

02922 010101

General enquiries email –

john.dunnington@euroclad.co.uk

Sales enquiries email –

sophie.sheedy@euroclad.co.uk

Through consultation with Knauf Insulation’s technical support team, a bespoke product was developed to deliver a thermal conductivity of 0.036 W/mK. This unique product was developed within Euroclad’s timescales, managing to meet the stringent project specifications, even with a variety of acoustic and thermal testing included as part of the product development. The resultant engineered roof and wall systems were enhanced versions of well-established Euroclad assemblies, which outperformed the acoustic requirement laid out by the design teams. The use of alternative constructions and materials, combined with tried-and-tested products and systems, has identified a new way to construct these systems should exceptional thermal or acoustic performance be required.

The supply chain worked together closely to transform the challenging design brief into reality. An example of this collaborative approach can be seen in the way that the roof and wall systems were developed, with valuable input from all parties, which resulted in a new system that:

Achieved the demanding performance requirements;
Could be manufactured efficiently;
Could be practically installed;
Didn’t compromise the desired visual appeal.

Specialist contractor Massey Cladding Solutions installed the roof and walls and Managing Director, Ray Massey, commented: “After designing the roof and walling systems, Euroclad supplied us with the insulation materials we required – I was very impressed with the laboratory tested products, as they met our brief accurately.”

The Vieo walls of the Ice Arena Wales were manufactured from Colorcoat Prisma in Silver Metallic, Grey Aluminium and Anthracite; a solution that provided the building with diverse, complementary colours that define and enhance the distinct aesthetic design. The Secret Fix SF500 roof was manufactured from Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra pre-finished steel in Goosewing Grey; a solution that complemented the distinct wall aesthetics, whilst also providing superior durability and corrosion protection for the harsher external rooftop environment.

The option to use Colorcoat pre-finished steel products in collaboration with Euroclad as a supply chain partner of Tata Steel ensured superior, tried-and-tested performance, which has been achieved through decades of collaborative testing and joint product development to meet a wide range of specifications. Colorcoat pre-finished steel forms the backbone to many Elite Systems with Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra and Colorcoat Prisma pre-finished steels being the only steel materials that can be used to manufacture the outer sheets of most Elite Systems.

Elite Systems offer a 25-year system guarantee, which covers the entire package of components that are either manufactured by Euroclad or sourced from the leading manufacturers of construction products. This all combines to add peace of mind for the entire roof and wall systems. This guarantee is underpinned by the Confidex Guarantee from Tata Steel. This offers a guarantee directly from Tata Steel to the building owner for the performance of Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra and Colorcoat Prisma, when used in a conventional external building envelope application.

This case study is an excellent exposition that shines a light on some of the great strengths and key benefits of working with Euroclad. The project demonstrates the wide choice of products, the willingness and ability to work closely with the supply chain, and the flexibility to supply standard and augmented systems to suit aesthetics and performance requirements.

Euroclad keeps project on track

One of Euroclad’s most impressive and successful installations of metal roof and wall cladding was the new Hitachi Rail Europe manufacturing facility. Nearly 900 new railway carriages will be made in the brand new factory constructed at Merchant Park, Newton Aycliffe.

Representing an £82m investment, the facility for Hitachi Rail Europe is creating around 730 jobs in the production of high-speed, commuter and metro trains. The site will also be home to a research & development facility and 1.1km of overhead electrified test track.

The choice of 9800m² of Euroclad’s Elite 51 wall system and 38,600m² of Euroclad’s Elite 1 roof system gives some idea of the sheer scale of the new building. Elite Systems are perfect for this type of construction, providing an attractive finish combined with adaptable performance levels, whilst reinforcing the project’s environmental credentials, with systems having been subject to a full cradle-to-cradle lifecycle analysis.

The profiled steel sheets were manufactured to order at Euroclad’s Cardiff manufacturing facility and delivered to site along with all other components of the Elite roof and wall systems. This single-source solution ensures that the performance of different constructions can be declared with confidence and allows BIM compatibility.

Both the roof and walls were manufactured from Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra pre-finished steel in Goosewing Grey; a very popular material and colour choice for this kind of construction and one with a guarantee of up to 40 years directly from Tata Steel to the building owner, when used in a conventional external building envelope application.

In addition to the 44,000m² main building and test track, the construction phase involved the relocation of 370,000m² of sub soil and natural rock, which stayed within the site. Products used in this construction included the vast areas of steel roof and wall cladding, as well as a 25kVa power supply, a total of 2000t of steel (comprising 77,700 components) and 3772 Trina solar modules, which will generate a targeted 1MW of electricity.

The 31.5-acre site holds a special significance in the history of passenger rail, with the track adjoining the site being the one that was used by Robert Stephenson and Company to run Locomotion No. 1, the first steam locomotive to carry passengers on a public line in 1825.

In an order placed by the Department of Transport for its Intercity Express programme, 112 of the 122 Class 800/801 train sets (totalling 866 train carriages) will be built at the site, with an ongoing maintenance programme for the next 27.5 years. The first trains will enter revenue-earning service on the Great Western Main Line in 2017 and on the East Coast Main Line a year later.

Hitachi Rail Europe is also contracted as the supplier of trains to Abellio’s ScotRail programme where the majority of the AT200 commuter trains (46 three-car trains and 24 four-car trains) will also be built at the new facility in County Durham. Further new generation trains are also destined for service across Europe.

Elite System 3 - Premium low pitch roofing solution with continuous outer sheets

Euroclad Elite System 3 is the system to use for low pitch roof applications where speed of fixing and guaranteed performance is paramount. These attributes are complemented by the continuity of finish, colour and material choice. Elite System 3 has low visual impact, allowing clean uncluttered rooflines. Systems are available with standard or perforated sheets for acoustic purposes.