Rookery Building
Ruskin College, Oxford
We were thrilled to be a key part of this £7.2
million extension, which featured Airtec stone
for a stylish, contemporary and practical finish.
alsecco Airtec ventilated rain-screen façade has been installed
as part of Penoyre and Prasad’s new extension to the Rookery
building at Ruskin College, Oxford. The project consolidates the
college’s campus – which was previously split across two sites –
into one.
Specified for its lightweight nature, the Airtec stone panels are
up to 60% lighter than 40mm-thick stone-work. To support such
a vast dead-load on vertical surfaces, the substructure must be
incredibly robust and consequently, it is difficult to achieve.
We were delighted the Airtec stone system was specified for such a prestigious landmark project. The system is up to 60% lighter than solid stone systems, yet any stone can be used. The Portland Stone used here is exactly as designed.
However, alsecco Airtec system weighs just 37–42kg/m2,
reducing the need for extensive support structures. The composite
panel consists of a 5–10mm thick stone veneer bonded to a
lightweight aerated clay concrete base. In total, 1,200m2 of
the stone rain-screen cladding system was used in Limestone
Palais finish by architects Penoyre and Prasad on the Rookery
building
Brackets used to support the rain-screen cladding were
installed with isolation pads to prevent any cold bridging
within the system. Using a combination of minimum joints,
corner and lintel details, the cladding system gives the effect
of solid stone.
