PROJECT REPORT: EDUCATION & RESEARCH FACILITIES 37
Decorative casings – in a class of their own W
ithout column casings and building lining solutions from Peterborough based specialist,
Encasement, many schools, colleges and universities would probably be less attractive and engaging learning environments. Primarily specified to conceal structural steelwork and building services, column casings and wall linings combine these practical benefits with the ability to provide a more aesthetic finish that can blend in or contrast with interior decor. Also, where column casings are used to conceal exterior features, they are often used to enhance building entrances through the use of colour or material choice.
The presence of large numbers of students has an important influence on the specification and use of decorative casings in high traffic areas, such as main entrances, common rooms, foyers, sports halls and other public spaces, as durability is an essential requirement for most projects. Individual classrooms,
science facilities
and research labs are also subject to similar considerations, where the balance of material choice and finish are often defined by the level of durability required.
The ability to understand and meet these demands from architects, educational design teams and specifiers have been key factors that have influenced the Encasement range. Its column casings range is ideally suited for
use on both new-build projects and refurbishment schemes and includes six individual products offering a wide choice of materials and finish options dependent on whether the casings are for exterior or interior use.
Both Circa and Quadra casings are manufactured from pre-formed plywood, while the Forma range is fabricated from metal. Alongside these, the Polyma and Gypra products are moulded, respectively, from glass reinforced plastic (GRP) and glass reinforced gypsum (GRG). specialised Metza casings,
The specifically Luton STEM – Forma – ©Hufton+Crow
designed for mezzanine floor supports completes the range.
Forma metal casings and Polyma GRP are widely used in educational buildings, where their toughness and choice of finishes make them an ideal solution. Forma, particularly, provides an exceptional scope of options and can be specified in a range of shapes including circular, square, rectangular, hexagonal or bespoke forms. They can also be stacked to reach extended heights.
As well as installations at Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School’s STEM building,
Winchester College, projects at Liverpool University’s Donnan Laboratories,
and the
University of Bedfordshire’s STEM laboratories and Birmingham University Dental School, all exploit the diverse practical and decorative properties of Encasement’s Forma range in both interior and exterior applications. Where casings are needed for interior use
only, then the plywood Circa and Quadra ranges allow circular, square and rectangular profiles to be specified while also providing a wide range of finish options with the most popular being decorative laminated finishes. In addition to resisting damage, scuffs and
scratches, laminates provide specifiers with a diverse palette of finishes including plain colours, wood grains and metallics, as well as textured and real wood veneers. Although Gypra GRG is also an interior only product, it is rarely specified for educational projects due to the need to resist damage, as moulded gypsum is comparatively soft.
The Dame Kelly Holmes Sports Centre and Farnborough Sixth Form College are typical examples of how Quadra casings effectively conceal structural steelwork while their colourful and durable finishes enhance the interior design.
Alongside the company’s six individual ranges of column casings, its Vecta building lining system provides high quality solutions for interior wall linings, bulkheads, soffits and reveals. Vecta has been used in a range of
interior education projects, including
extensive remodelling of London’s South Bank University,
as well as exterior
applications, such as the overhead walkway casings at St. Richard Reynolds College in Twickenham.
01733 266 889
www.encasement.co.uk
Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School – Forma
Dame Kelly Holmes Centre – Quadra
St.Richard Reynolds College – Vecta
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