Rockpanel re-dresses towering tributes to Manchester’s pioneering past

The Three Towers, Manchester.

The prominent trio of tower blocks were originally named to honour sisters Christabel, Sylvia, and Emmeline Pankhurst and in recognition of their pioneering activism as part of the Suffragette movement, which lead to women receiving the right to vote in the early 20th Century. The ultimate owners of the three blocks include multi award-winning property regeneration specialists Urban Splash and a private owner. Buttress Architects were design principle for the recladding.

Design freedom helped to match existing design.

Ben Tabiner of Buttress Architects said “…the project involved the removal of all the existing cladding elements back to the backing wall and the installation of new compliant materials. We specified Rockpanel after a lengthy design process where many cladding systems were considered. A mixture of inherent fire safety, ease of installation and a customised design, enabling a true matching of the existing veneer HPL panel, made Rockpanel Woods the obvious choice.”

Sector specialists, Clarke Facades, undertook the removal process and the installation of a complete new ventilated rainscreen system using around 9,000m² of Rockpanel. The firm’s Project Manager James Mckeurtan spoke about the installation, “We’ve worked with Rockpanel several times, they offer a vast choice of surface finishes which meet or exceed the relevant fire safety regulations. The panels are light and easy to work with and Tom Uzelac and the team are always available to offer technical advice and help ensure things run smoothly and to schedule.

Unique future proof properties and capability.

The super realistic A2 Rockpanel Woods façade panels installed at the three towers deliver an organic warmth thought only possible with natural wood. They additionally benefit from Protect Plus, a resilient coating from Rockpanel which further guards against dirt, graffiti and the negative impacts of UV radiation.

Tom Uzelac, Specification Manager from Rockpanel added, “We were able to match the surface design of the non-compliant panels by customising our Woods collection. They were installed in conjunction with ROCKWOOL RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® A1-rated non-combustible insulation, which provides additional thermal and acoustic benefits. The system delivers the required fire safety charactersitics necessary to ensure complaince and peace of mind for occupants and the building owner.”

Rockpanel derives its unique non-combustible properties from the core of stone wool used in its manufacture. The compressed natural basalt is a sustainable and readily available volcanic rock, which is bonded with an organic binder to deliver a highly durable facade which is virtually maintenance-free and insensitive to moisture and temperature changes.

The breadth of design options available across the Rockpanel range allows designers complete freedom to let their imaginations run wild in the knowledge the completed facade will not only realise their creative ambitions but will also embody superior fire resilience and stay looking as good as the day it is installed, throughout its long life. And when the time eventually comes, the panels can be easily demounted and recycled in to new Rockpanel facades with no loss of quality or performance.