Trent Brings a Touch of Italian Chic
To the master architects of the Italian Renaissance, ‘belvedere' was a building that was partly open to the sky, positioned so those inside could relish magnificent views of their surroundings.
It's a theme adopted by Aedas Architects and Wilson Bowden Developments Ltd to craft a unique structure at the aptly named Belvedere office complex in Manchester that perfectly encapsulates this 400-year-old ideal. The project boasts distinctive private terraces and commanding panoramas across the modern city.
To give the final touch of sophistication, Trent Concrete will be designing, manufacturing and installing a range of stunning reconstructed stone cladding at this major, £20m development.
Artfully blending old and new, the 16,000 sq ft of office space at Belvedere is spread over eight floors (including ground) and, while modern in appearance, has been skilfully designed to blend with neighbouring buildings and streets in the Half Square Mile business district.
Complementing the dazzling exterior glass façade, Trent's stunning spandrel and mullion precast concrete cladding will give a sublime, natural stone-like finish around the outside of the development. The cladding has been designed in close partnership with the architect and contractor to mould the ideal bespoke solution.
Under the £434,000 contract, due to begin in August, the company will build the four panels specified off-site so they are ready and waiting for installation before the end of September.
Daniel Lesser, an Associate at project designer Aedas Architects, said: "We wanted to create a natural stone look to Belvedere, with a consistent finish and a speed of erection that would fit our programming schedule. It was clear that Trent Concrete would be able to deliver on all of these fronts, making it the perfect choice for us."
Delivered to site on a just in time basis, every individually moulded Trent Concrete unit is carefully craned into place. Being manufactured off-site means that time on site is reduced, avoiding any unnecessary disruptions or delays - and ensuring that overall quality is enhanced.
Trent Concrete products offer a number of benefits over traditional stone cladding, from cost effectiveness to speed of construction and durability. The company has also undertaken a sustainability review of all aspects of its work to ensure minimum environmental impact and carbon footprint.
For further information contact Colin Felton at CFA Marketing Communications on 01622 754295.
Company Details
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.