This re-cladding project to a prominent call centre situated in the Gasworks Business Park, Belfast afforded an excellent opportunity to reinvent and rejuvenate a landmark Belfast building. Originally completed in 2001, the ‘Halifax’ call centre as it was known, was a highly recognisable office building located adjacent to the main Belfast to Dublin railway line and overlooking the River Lagan and Ormeau Park. On completion the building stood out due it’s modern aesthetic but over time the environment took its toll on the cladding and combined with the post Grenfell fire safety review surrounding ACMs and buildings over 18m high Lloyds Banking Group took the decision to re-clad the building using robust and ‘inert’ materials. The proposed cladding solution of aluminium cassettes, mineral wool insulation, SFS and Magnesium oxide silicate sheathing boards passed the BS 8414 – Fire Performance of External Cladding Systems test carried at BRE Watford. The opportunity to re-imagine the building was fully realised by applying two tone longitudinal dark grey panels to the base and stair cores contrasted by monochrome rectangular light grey panels to the main facades and arch. The entrance façade was highlighted by enlarging and rotating the panels by 90˚ and staggering panel depths to create a 3D sculptural effect.
The re-cladding project has provided the building with a safe, thermally efficient, and robust envelope to allow it to maintain its commercial effectiveness well into the foreseeable future. Key benefits include:
