University of Chester, Chester

For the refurbishment of the 1960s seven-storey Price Tower, we installed alsecco Airtec glass ventilated rain-screen cladding system. It was used as a long-lasting alternative to replace a failed glass cladding system that had experienced delamination. This had previously been used to try and cover areas of concrete cladding covering, which had begun to spall in locations and was aesthetically out of alignment with the rest of the university.

The client wanted to present a forward-thinking approach, and this is where our cladding came in. Originally, the building envelope was thermally upgraded, plus solar shading improvements were made to the south and west façades. On inspection of the envelope at 12 months, defects were observed where the laminated glass cladding system was showing signs of delamination. At this point, the original over-cladding system was condemned and an alternative system needed to be found

It was decided that the Airtec system was the best longterm tested solution that would match the original design intent. The project covered 375m2 and gave the prominent university building a notable facelift. It is manufactured to exacting stands with tight tolerances and robust testing, so we are confident it will stand the test of time.