Knauf Aquapanel Exterior has provided both speed and cost savings during the construction of a 60-bed care home in Winnersh.
By utilising the lightweight performance of the Knauf Aquapanel Exterior panels, compared to brick and block construction, designers were able to reduce the size and weight requirements of the foundations.
The Abbeyfield Winnersh care home is formed of four striking circular clusters that create a unique community to deliver innovative dementia care. Knauf Aquapanel Exterior cement boards were used as a substitute facade system to brick and completed with a rendered finish.
Facing cost pressure and difficulty securing brick and block supplies, Castleoak Operations Director Neil Robins and his colleagues were charged with designing a build strategy without the use of brick.
Mr Robins said: “With inhouse timber frame design and manufacturing, Castleoak was able to offer our customer a really innovative build solution. Our solution was to prefabricate all panels, floors cassettes, and for the first time, apply external render panels at the Castleoak factory for this build. This strategy offered a great quality solution – and enabled us to better control the build programme with less dependency on subcontractors.”
Tested and certified by the BBA for use as a ventilated exterior wall panel system on timber frame and steel frame buildings, Knauf Aquapanel Exterior provides a solid, dry base that can withstand the extreme weathering effects of wind, rain and snow. It is also ideal for creating exterior soffits and the illusion of an internal ceiling continuing through the façade to the outside of the building.
