Porcelain facade for Colchester Retail Park

Shackerley has provided a SureClad® porcelain facade system for another retail development, this time providing the porcelain cladding for Stane Retail Park, Tollgate in Colchester.

Porcelain facade for Colchester Retail Park

Designed by architects Corsophine & Wright (https://www.corstorphine-wright.com/), who have specified Shackerley’s SureClad® porcelain facade system for a number of other retail projects, the retail units were specified in two colourways of SureClad® porcelain cladding: a creamy beige and a contrasting grey, both with a natural finish.

The large format SureClad® porcelain facade panels were incorporated into the facade design to create a decorative element at the entrance to each of the retail buildings, providing a high-end finish that complements the glazed elements of the retail units’ facades.

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 panel solutions with the premium appearance and longevity of Shackerley’s fully-prefabricated large format porcelain cladding, attached directly to the Kingspan panels using Shackerley’s Queen’s Award-winning SureClad® Access mechanical fixing system, over a total facade area of 1256m2.

Enabling rapid installation, the Kingspan system allowed 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.

Shackerley’s SureClad® porcelain cladding is frequently specified for retail park projects because the facade 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 Shackerley porcelain cladding panels are also U/V resistant and resistant to algae and graffiti, maintaining a high quality facade appearance over time.

Shackerley worked closely with the design team to optimise material use in the facade design using standard large-format porcelain cladding panels. The facade was installed by CA Roofing Services (www.cagroup.co.uk ).

More information on porcelain cladding can be found here porcelain cladding

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.