Bardsley Construction were appointed by Blackburn College for the design and the construction of 8,000m2 of a new build Further Education accommodation built over three storeys achieving BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. The building accommodates specialist teaching space for the Colleges healthcare, childcare and creative arts education provision. There is also support space, namely main reception, student services/support, Learning Resource Centre, registry and common space. The steel frame structure is clad with facing brick, aluminium windows with brise soleil shading and striking blue stainless steel Rimex Pagoda cladding.

The difficulties associated with this project were in the correct and detailed installation of the Rimex. The photographs show how the Rimex cladding forms part of the main visual appeal of the building, due to the natural reflection and shading of the material it was imperative that our in house fabrication team and highly skilled onsite operatives worked with great care and attention to detail to avoid any damage or unwanted undulation in the panels as this would affect the overall appearance of the finished product. This was exacerbated by the directional nature of the material that requires the very highest quality of craftsmanship to achieve the desired results.

Everything was pre-fabricated and measured off-site in order to ensure the highest accuracy during the installation. The rear of the joints were scalloped to ensure a smooth fit with no saw-toothing.  Longworth’s believe this building has become a focal point of Blackburn town centre and the Rimex cladding gives the building its main appeal.