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SHACKERLEY RAINSCREEN GIVES NEW LEASE OF LIFE TO 1920S SHOE FACTORY
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Shackerley (Holdings) Group Ltd
28/07/2008
 
Ceramic granite rainscreen specialist Shackerley has helped Metropolis Architecture Ltd to transform Boston House, a former 1920’s shoe factory into a contemporary apartment complex that sets a distinctive design-led tone for other developments to follow in Leicester’s Abbey Meadow Regeneration area.

Shackerley has supplied a dramatic and eye-catching Sureclad ventilated rainscreen for the main south facing elevation of the building, which has been sympathetically converted into 44 luxurious apartments including eight penthouses. The rainscreen features a façade panel with an aesthetic finish that has been used for the first time on an exterior cladding project in the UK.

The original plain and characterless factory frontage has given way to a gently curved façade constructed of 1200x600mm panels, which appear to have been made of exposed oxidised metal with all its variegated colouration and texture. However, each slab is actually made of ceramic granite, an innovative and versatile construction material boasting exceptional strength, hardness and Class B1A (virtually zero) porosity. The distinctive ‘metallic’ finish is the result of a special surface treatment which gives the slabs their rich texture and a high degree of reflectivity. This means that the outward appearance of the frontage of the building is constantly varying in response to changes in the prevailing weather conditions and the direction and intensity of sunlight.

Project Architect Mark Guyatt said: “The original factory building had a very simple industrial aesthetic. Our intention was always to retain and expose the best parts of this and to contrast them with simple contemporary additions. The metallicised ceramic granite cladding from Shackerley presents a very clear contrast with the retained brickwork of the remaining exterior elevations. At the same time the gentle curves of the new façade and the penthouse roofs contrast strongly with the strong linear character of the factory.”

The original purpose and heritage of the building influenced the finish and even the shape of the rainscreen façade as Mark Guyatt explains: “ We have ‘recycled’ this former shoe factory into a ‘modern machine for living in’ but have been very keen to maintain links with the past. The rusty metal colours of the cladding reflect the strong industrial history of the city and of the Abbey Meadows area that is being regenerated. The curvature of the façade itself is actually inspired by the shape of an old shoe that has begun to curl at the edges and part company from its sole.”

Mark concludes: “In effect with Shackerley’s rainscreen we have been able to ‘resole’ this tired old factory, and now, as a complex of luxurious contemporary apartments in a vibrant regeneration area, the building will have a completely new lease of life.”
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