Echoing Success for Trent Concrete
Mario Minchella Architects loved the curved white precast exterior of City Gate in Newcastle so much they specified it for their own £38 million new build, Echo 24, a high-quality apartment development in Sunderland.But it wasn't just aesthetic beauty they wanted to achieve for this landmark build. Given the city centre location, they wanted speed of installation, acoustic insulation and durability - all traits of Trent Concrete's precast cladding. Architect, Mario Minchella explained: "When we saw the product on City Gate we knew it would be right for Echo 24 because we needed a product that offered clean, crisp lines, good weathering performance and excellent acoustic properties to minimise traffic noise.
The result was a high quality finish that also simplified integration with other materials, such as curtain walling.
David Walker, Managing Director of Trent Concrete, said: "It's wonderful to work on a job that has resulted from an architect's recognition of a previous project of ours. Not only is it a testament to precast concrete, but it gives us all a great sense of job satisfaction too."
Trent's £800k contract covered 2,200 square metres of acid-etched white reconstructed stone cladding in 260 units. The wide variety of units fell into six main categories: under-window panels 7.15m long x 900mm high; spandrels incorporating balconies 7.15m long x 2.28m high; curved spandrels 2.65m long x 2.28m high; L-shaped spandrels 3.37m long x 2.28m high; flat storey height panels 3.35m long x 3.3m high and curved storey height panels 2.265m long x 3m high.
Widely recognised as the North East's premier development, Echo 24 has been a key improvement in the regeneration of Sunderland's river quarter. Dominating Sunderland's skyline, Echo 24 houses residents parking, two commercial units and 179 luxury apartments over eleven floors.
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Notes to Editors
Trent Concrete is a specialist precast concrete contractor, producing high quality bespoke architectural cladding and structures. Providing a complete solution from detailed design development through skills-based manufacture to on-site erection using its own teams, Trent Concrete partners with leading developers and specifiers to ensure that their projects gain maximum benefit from prefabrication. Trent Concrete's precast solutions make a major contribution to improved quality, certainty, sustainability, safety and efficiency in the UK construction industry today.
The company has worked on some of the most prestigious projects of recent years, including The Scottish Office and the Toyota GB Plc and Thames Water headquarters buildings, and the quality of its work is consistently recognised in the form of industry awards. Trent Concrete was founded in 1917 and is based in Nottingham, where it employs more than 200 people.