The design and delivery teams responsible for the creation of an important new training facility for construction workers have made articulate use of glazing and door solutions from Sapa Building Systems – part of the Sapa Group – to enhance both the appearance and performance of the structure.

The Whitehill& Bordon Future Skills Centre at Bordon in Hampshire has been constructed by the Southampton based office of Interserve, with 3D Aluminium being the specialist fabricator responsible for installing the Sapa Elegance Curtain Walling and Sapa Dualframe Si windows into elevations whose energy performance has helped earn the project architectural acclaim.

Part of an area-wide strategy to replace employment linked to the Army’s long term presence on the former Louisburg Barracks, the centre’s focus will be on training for the construction sector, though it will also form a new local hub for technical training: hosting a broad adult and community learning programmes for the wider population.

Commercial Sales Director for 3D Aluminium, Simon Keegan, commented: “The project was originally specified using Sapa Building Systems. As one of Sapa’s approved commercial fabricators we tendered for the works using Sapa Elegance 52 ST curtain walling, Sapa Dualframe Si casement windows, together with Sapa ST II doors.

“As part of the design of the curtain walling we incorporated a bull-nose feature cap to create a vertical banding detail in a silver metallic polyester powder coated finish, to contrast the black framing.  We also used Sapa’s 90 degree faceted facade principle to create the feature curtain wall corner detail on this project – to include a 310mm curtain wall back box with compound mitres in excess of 250mm to each transom – for which the company provided special design details.

We had large areas of glass – some more than 6.5 square metres in area – which weighed in excess of 250kg each and required specialist contract lifting services to help install them.   All glazing included high performance solar control glass.”

Amongst the design requirements was for the curtain wall screen to include free spanning full height mullions for aesthetic effect, while Sapa’s own technical support staff provided strength calculations and proposals of detailing from early on in the pre-contract process.

Within its package, 3D Aluminium installed 270m² of the Elegance 52 curtain wall plus 23 casement windows, together with two double and four single doorsets. U-values for the glazing were as low as 1.21 W/m² K, reducing energy demand and thereby cutting the long term running costs of the facility.

Sapa Building Systems is part of the Sapa Group, a world leader in aluminium solutions that also encompasses sister brands Technal and Wicona. Through its globally renowned Sapa TechnologyHubs, the Group is shaping a sustainable future, with innovative products that satisfy and surpass customer expectations, in line with demands of CSR and increasing environmental regulations.

At the time of a topping out ceremony when a final ‘Golden Bolt’ was fixed in the structural frame, a spokesperson for Hampshire County Council commented: “This flagship facility will offer young people, employers and the wider community the skills necessary for the jobs that will be created by the regeneration, and improve the area’s economic prosperity.

“We’re proud to have the scale, capacity, experience and expertise to deliver key infrastructure projects like these, and ultimately to bring new opportunities to the community here.”

The new centre will be operated in conjunction with Basingstoke College of Technology.