Porcelain facade specified for Blackpool retail project
Shackerley’s SureClad® porcelain facade system has been specified for a distinctive retail development next to one of the UK’s most distinctive landmarks – the Blackpool Tower. The porcelain cladding system is being used for the facade of an extension to Blackpool’s Houndshill Shopping Centre, as the retail destination adds more commercial floorspace to entice shoppers
Specified by architects Covell Matthews, the project features a total of 1250m2 of SureClad® porcelain cladding panels in two contrasting colourways: ‘Arctic White’ polished porcelain facade panels, and feature cladding panels in a dark ‘Bocciardato’ colourway with a ‘hammered’ finish.
The SureClad® porcelain cladding systems is part of a bold, contemporary facade that aims to complement the heritage of the nearby Grade II* listed Blackpool Winter Gardens, by using elegant, reflective porcelain facade materials to echo the Winter Gardens’ faience facade.
All the SureClad® porcelain cladding panels for the facade were manufactured to order at one of Shackerley’s ISO 9001 factories in Lancashire, providing a local supply chain for the Blackpool project. Each panel was precision drilled using Shackerley’s bespoke machinery, with all under-cut anchors, fixings and straps secured to the installation-ready panels before they left the factory, in compliance with BSI – ISO TS 17870-3:2023.
Installed in partnership with Kingspan, the project combines the Shackerley SureClad® porcelain facade system with Kingspan’s Quadcore Karrier system as part of an insulated building envelope. The full range of Kingspan architectural facades can be seen here:
www.kingspan.com/gb/en/products/architectural-facades/.
The innovative facade solution brings together Kingspan’s high performing QuadCore insulated panels with the premium appearance and longevity of Shackerley’s fully-prefabricated large format porcelain cladding system. The system is being installed using Shackerley’s Queen’s Award-winning SureClad® Access mechanical fixing system.
The Kingspan system allows the building to be made watertight very quickly, because the insulated panels act as both the internal and external wall, prior to installation of the SureClad® porcelain facade. The completed hybrid system also delivers excellent airtightness and low U-values post installation, helping to ensure a high standard of comfort and energy efficiency, in line with sustainability goals.
Installed by Longworth ( https://www.longworth-uk.com), the Houndshill Shopping Centre extension Shackerley’s portfolio of retail facade projects. The SureClad® porcelain facade system is frequently specified for retail park projects because the rainscreen cladding system provides a low-maintenance building envelope with a clean, neat aesthetic. The impervious SureClad® porcelain cladding panels have excellent weather resistance, preventing damage due to freeze/thaw conditions. The large format porcelain cladding panels are also U/V resistant and resistant to algae and graffiti, maintaining a high quality facade appearance over time.
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Porcelain cladding is a fully vitrified cladding system suitable for any commercial building. Shackerley’s SureClad® porcelain is cut into cladding panels at Shackerley’s UK cladding manufacturer site in Lancashire and fully prefabricated as an installation-ready porcelain cladding system .
Porcelain cladding systems are amongst the most lightweight cladding systems, providing an alternative to traditional stone cladding systems. Even large format porcelain cladding panels provide a lightweight facade because porcelain cladding systems can be manufactured as thin as 10mm
Porcelain cladding is fully vitrified, so it provides stain resistant and colourfast cladding that remains robust and attractive. SureClad® porcelain cladding is stain resistant and colourfast as well as providing U/V stable cladding with colours that are permanent with no fading.
Porcelain cladding is an excellent choice for scratch and abrasion resistance and it does not get scratched with normal wear and tear. Porcelain cladding panels are rated 8.5 on the MOHS scale - a qualitative scale that characterises the scratch resistance of various minerals and rates diamond as 10.
Porcelain cladding does not fade or discolour over time. For example the SureClad® porcelain cladding system is a U/V resistant cladding system that is robust and hardwearing, with excellent resistance to algae and graffiti, providing low maintenance cladding.
A mechanically fixed porcelain cladding system is a cladding system that is formed of cladding panels which are mechanically fixed to the building structure to create the facade. No adhesives should be considered when testing a mechanically fixed cladding system for windload resistance. All Shackerley cladding systems including our SureClad® porcelain cladding system, are mechanically fixed cladding systems prefabricated in full accordance with ISO/TS17870-3:2023 – published by BSI. All Shackerley cladding systems are assembled in ISO 9001 certified UK factories, and comprise fully pre-fabricated, installation ready cladding panels, providing a cladding system with no panel assembly required on site.
A ready to install porcelain cladding system has all parts of the cladding system pre-fitted onto the cladding panels in an appropriately accredited/quality-controlled factory. Shackerley’s ready to install cladding panels are pre-fabricated with all undercut anchors and clips attached. Avoiding any assembly of components on site ensures improved quality of installation and performance of the finished cladding. All Shackerley cladding systems are supplied as fully pre-fabricated cladding panels for an installation-ready cladding system, with all cladding panel pre-fabrication carried out in our ISO 9001 certified UK factories, avoiding any need for the assembly of panels on site. For porcelain cladding systems the requirement for factory assembled panels is detailed in the new standard ISO/TS 17870-3:2023 – published by BSI.
Any porcelain cladding system should be tested for hard body and soft body impact resistance. Shackerley’s impact resistant porcelain cladding systems have been tested to verify impact resistance and durability. All Shackerley cladding systems are tested and certified in accordance with ISO TS 17870-3 and CWCT standards for hard body impact resistance and soft body impact resistance.
A porcelain cladding system should be windload tested for both positive and negative windload pressure. Windload resistance is important for safety, so selecting a cladding system that has undergone windload testing is vital. Shackerley’s wind resistant porcelain cladding has been tested to verify resistance to windload in accordance with CWCT standards to provide certified wind resistant cladding systems.
XXL porcelain cladding panels are extra large porcelain cladding panels, which are typically 3600mm x 1600mm. These extra large cladding panels allow for floor slab to floor slab installation and a monolithic layout, which is often important on larger projects. As with all Shackerley porcelain cladding systems, our XXL porcelain cladding panels are delivered to site as fully pre-fabricated installation ready panels that need no site assembly in accordance with the requirements set out in ISO/TS 17870-3:2023 – published by BSI.
Porcelain rainscreen is a facade cladding using porcelain panels. Porcelain rainscreen systems should be fabricated in an appropriately accredited, quality controlled, factory environment in accordance with the requirements of ISO TS 17870-3 and delivered to site as ready-to-install facade panels, mechanically fixed to the building, structure in compliance with the requirements set out in ISO/TS 17870-3:2023 – published by BSI. The porcelain rainscreen system provides a drained and ventilated facade that protects the building, enhances thermal performance and delivers an attractive porcelain finish for a building.
