University research facility featuring WICONA double skin façade winds RIBA award for architectural excellence

2009-09-25

The Beatson Cancer Research Facility at the University of Glasgow, which was constructed using Wicona unitised curtain walling, has won an RIBA Award for architectural excellence.

The Beatson Cancer Research Facility at the University of Glasgow, which was constructed using Wicona unitised curtain walling, has won an RIBA Award for architectural excellence.

Designed by Reiach and Hall and constructed by Balfour Beatty, the £12m scheme – a world centre of excellence for cancer research – is also the only building in Scotland to win a full Civic Trust Award 2009.

The building takes the form of a transparent crystalline cube, which reflects the advanced nature of the research centre.

Wicona unitised curtain walling was used to create a complex, bespoke double skin façade, which allowed the building to maximise light transmission whilst reducing solar gain.  The tall glazed units allow light into the centre of the building and its laboratories, helping to provide an inspirational working environment and attractive views.

Commenting on this year’s RIBA Awards, RIBA President Sunand Prasad said, “The RIBA Awards are a thermometer to indicate the state of health of British architecture and for 2009 the results are good – both quality and quantity have been maintained. This year's winners accurately reflect both the diversity, and the workload of UK architecture… and reflect and reward the good things that are going on all across the UK.

The façade units for the Beatson project are up to 3.9m high and 1.6m wide and were prefabricated and glazed off site, reducing installation time and improving quality control.

Each double skin unitised panel carries a pane of laminated structurally bonded glass on the outside, with a double glazed unit behind.  Insulated opaque glass conceals services, and the third face of the external glass is fritted, providing an unusual solar screen, and reducing the amount of UV light entering the building.

Commenting on the advantages of the unitised façade, Ian Hopkins, Project Manager at Balfour Beatty Construction, said, “We would estimate that the unitised approach reduced site erection time by around 50 per cent.  This was an important benefit for such a high specification façade and it allowed us to start the complex services installation at an earlier stage, and bring forward the testing and commissioning phase.”

“The quality of the façade panels, which arrived on site around 80 per cent complete, was definitely superior. This is a first class approach to façade construction.”

The building’s other accolades include the Glasgow Institute of Architects Supreme Award Winner and Best Healthcare Building, and Best Public Building at the Roses Design Awards.

The Wicona unitised approach allows the façade panels to be fully glazed and sealed in a controlled factory environment, before being delivered to site for faster installation onto pre-prepared fixings, without the need for scaffolding.  This method improves quality control and site safety, and can reduce time on site by up to 70 per cent for earlier fitting out, completion and occupation.

Unitised solutions are particularly suited to more complex and bespoke façade designs, such as at the Beatson Institute, and are ideal for constrained city centre sites with restricted access and limited storage space for materials.