A soft drinks storage and distribution centre in Bristol has become one of the first industrial buildings in the UK to be clad externally with Kingspan Insulated Panel’s KS1200CS coldstore composite panels. The 20m high building was commissioned but a leading beverage company to store and distribute its range of soft drinks.
Construction involved meticulous detail regarding the internal temperature-control and thermal performance. Previously only specified for the internal box, Kingspan’s KS1200CS panels were selected for the walls and the roof of the building in spans of 4.8m. Panels were applied to the wall with micro-rib horizontal profiling and for the roof while 180mm panels were installed with a single ply weathering membrane to form a complete weather-proof outer envelopes for the steel framed structure.
The work was carried out by cold store contractor Hemsec Installation following a brief from main contractor Pearce Construction. Steve Ward, of Hemsec, says: “We used lifters to raise the panels into place which enabled them to be installed quickly and efficiently. Having previously installed the panels manually, the Meekes lifting system, developed in conjunction with various companies, including Kingspan, is instrumental in saving time and costs and reduces the health and safety risks. This is an attachment for the lifting equipment that allows the panels to be raised into place horizontally.”
As far as thermal performance was concerned, the KS1200CS panels had to meet the demands of a constant – 10°C internal temperature, which was achieved through the panel’s tongue and groove fixing process that creates an airtight envelope, coupled with the interlayer of rigid closed cell PIR insulation between the inner and outer steel skin. This enables a temperature range of +35°C to -40°C to be effectively regulated.Further to recent letting success at Phase 100, Slough Estates is marketing the remainder of the development at Radlett for design and build requirements. The site has outline planning permission to build two warehouses of 9,300sq m and 6,882sq m although subject to planning various configurations can be accommodated on a build to suit basis.
The site is one of the only developments within the immediate vicinity that can accommodate pre-lettings of this size, and would appeal to the distribution sector due to its proximity to the M1, M25 motorway networks and central London.
Joint agents Cushman & Wakefield Healey & Baker and Lambert Smith Hampton are in talks with several occupiers requiring purpose-built facilities.
