The Leltex House in Manchester is home to Hartbrights Sign Solutions/Architectural Cladding Systems in the UK. The team specializes in a variety of signage and printing capacities but has recently branched into the architectural cladding market. To showcase their rainscreen cladding system they chose a modern redesign of their own office complex that serves a duel purpose of providing the company an updated facility and also showcases to potential clients their cladding capabilities.

The representatives at Hartbrights describe, “As you can see from our ‘before photo,’ the building hadn’t seen much love in quite some time and was certainly looking dated, if not ugly. We chose to give the place a building envelope not only to bring Leltex House into the 21st Century, but also to showcase just what Hartbrights Architectural Cladding can do for your premises—no matter how old or what potential problems it may pose.”

The project was completed in multiple stages, the first of which included the removal of all original signage and cladding materials from the exterior. Additionally, in order to provide a more contemporary entrance the team also removed the original front doors. They then used the renovation as an opportunity to expand, creating a second floor for additional office space. The tower and roof were rebuilt as well to create a waterproof alternative and to make way for the enveloping aluminum cladding system.

Due to the age of the building and the team’s decision to retrofit the cladding system versus demolition, the installation of the metalwork required painstaking accuracy to account for the inconsistencies in the existing walls.

When choosing a substrate, the team opted for one of their own cladding materials Alucobond aluminum composite. They explain, “We chose the world renowned Alucobond PLUS cladding from Alucobond for this project. Consisting of two aluminum cover sheets and a mineral-filled polymer core, Alucobond Plus is ideal thanks to its durability and long life.”

Additionally, the issue of fire resistance was important when specifying the appropriate substrate. The team further explains, “Fire resistance was also a big factor in our choice. Alucobond PLUS meets all the required standards.”

Providing a modern aesthetic, Hartbrights chose the Silver Metallic and Anthracite Grey finishes. The finishes both complement and contrast each other. The ease of installation allowed the majority of the cladding to be fabricated and installed in a short time frame.

The central tower required the most attention to detail utilizing DuPont™ Tyvek® StructureGuard™ prior to the Alucobond cladding to help protect the building and make installation even easier. The team states, “Because of the nature of the design, the mounting for the cladding on the front of the tower had to be put together on the ground and lifted into place. This required absolute precision to ensure it fit perfectly and when complete looked as intended.”

The addition of the hardwood cedar panels, LED lighting and tinted windows offer even more modernity to the exterior. From conceptualization to completion in just six weeks, Hartbrights Architectural Cladding showcased their impressive capabilities to the market.

information and photography courtesy of ©Hartbrights Architectural Cladding