Shackerley supplies Birmingham conservation scheme

Euxton-based Shackerley, a market leader in ventilated ceramic cladding solutions, has provided 800 sq m of its SureClad ceramic granite cladding system for a major office refurbishment scheme in Birmingham.

Located in a conservation area, 43 Temple Row is a seven-storey office building of 1980s construction. The building’s façades had weathered significantly since its original construction, enabling rainwater to penetrate the existing panels and damage the structure’s concrete frame. The water ingress had also caused the panel fixings to corrode.

Planning restrictions required the refurbishment scheme to complement surrounding buildings and Shackerley’s SureClad ceramic granite system provided the ideal solution, matching the appearance of the original façade while utilising a contemporary, high performance material with almost zero porosity.

The building was stripped back to its concrete frame and a new concrete substrate was installed, prior to the installation of 1200 x 600mm SureClad ceramic panels in a style and colourway that was virtually indistinguishable from the original stone cladding.

Shackerley fully-prefabricated all elements of the installation in the company’s ISO 9001 accredited factory in Euxton, including precision engineering of bespoke details to match the intricate returns required for the existing window details.

The system was installed by Task Contractors, with full technical support and co-ordination from Shackerley at every stage from specification and design through to delivery.

Ian Blakemore, commercial manager at Task Contractors, said: ‘We’ve installed SureClad ceramic granite façades on buildings in various sectors and the Temple Row project demonstrates that Shackerley’s systems are ideal for retro-fit. The client has gained a bespoke new cladding system that fulfils all their needs, while we benefited from a quick turnaround on site.” Brian Newell, CEO of Shackerley, added: “Ceramic granite is a fully-vitrified, engineered construction material made entirely of natural constituents. It can be produced in styles, colourways and textures to emulate quarried stones such as granite, limestone and marble and offers a low maintenance, durable solution, making it ideal for both the aesthetic and building fabric demands of this scheme.”