As part of the £12 million redevelopment of the University for the Creative Arts building in Maidstone, ISG PLC built new teaching facilities for Mid Kent College to enlarge the Maidstone Campus and selected BCL ‘pre-weathered’ look timber cladding panels for its external envelope.
Designed by CC Studio Architects, the remodel consisted of both internal and external refurbishment of the existing school building, creating high-specification teaching areas, laboratories, art studios, workshop rooms and a restaurant. This key development followed a £100 million investment by the Further and Higher Education College in its property infrastructure and BCL’s maintenance free solution, utilising a sacrificial grey stain, provided low-cost wood cladding panels, in a system that maintains a clean modern look, whilst fully controlling the uneven effects of UV weathering.
The fully prefabricated, vertical wooden panels were fitted using our secret fixings, maintaining a contemporary look and preventing any surface penetrations or weaknesses to the outside face of timber, allowing coatings to last longer and maximise value for the end client. The external timber cladding was also pre-treated with a pressured FR impregnation process, ensuring fire performance to Class 0 SSF (in accordance with BS 476 Parts 6 & 7). The £1 million system was, as per all BCL timber panels, manufactured off-site and delivered as a rapid fixing panel system, significantly reducing on-site installation costs and prelims for the Main Contractor, ISG Plc.
