Digital design and offsite assembly for major cladding project in Dublin

Metal rainscreen specialist, Spanwall Façades, has delivered its latest cladding project in Dublin, demonstrating the application of MMC and offsite principles to façade design and construction. Fifteen George’s Quay is a prime commercial building overlooking the River Liffey in Dublin which has been transformed by developers IPUT Real Estate into more than 70,000 sq ft of highly sustainable, LEED Platinum-rated office space.

The redevelopment has expanded the building with the addition of two new upper floors, a new landscaped roof garden and terraces, a riverfront café and the entire façade was replaced. The main contractor was Structure Tone Dublin and the consultants were Arup.

The new envelope successfully blends stone, metalwork and floor-to-ceiling glazing with panoramic views. The bespoke rainscreen system met the aesthetic vision of architects Burke-Kennedy Doyle, whilst ensuring long-term durability, low maintenance and high weather performance.

Spanwall’s aluminium cladding was polyester powder coated in two shades of bronze and used to striking effect in vertical and horizontal rectilinear configurations to complement the stonework.
Working closely with Dublin-based façade contractor Alucraft, Spanwall manufactured the bespoke rainscreen panels and pre-assembled the units using the latest digital design technology and offsite manufacturing techniques to reduce work on site.

The building is sited in a highly constrained location with limited access for deliveries and material storage. Spanwall maximised assembly of the metal cladding sections in its factory to reduce work on site and speed up the installation process.

Spanwall produced 230 pre-assembled rainscreen units, using over 6,000 individual components and more than 10,000m of CNC-routed metal profiling for the project. The large cladding sub-assemblies were fixed with a generic hook and carrier system for ease of installation by Alucraft and were delivered to site in precise sequencing, reducing waste, material storage and vehicle movements.

Spanwall’s use of advanced digital design and smart manufacturing processes combined with the high level of pre-assembly ensured a level of quality control and precision that would have been difficult to achieve on site.

The offsite methodology was critical to overcoming the logistical challenges of the site, enabling Spanwall and Alucraft to implement a just-in-time delivery system that ensured fast and efficient installation with minimal disruption to neighbouring buildings.

Ronnie Mills, Managing Director of Alucraft, said: “Working with Spanwall on this project is a great example of how close collaboration between the cladding manufacturer and the specialist façade contractor can lead to outstanding project delivery and new methodologies.

Spanwall’s expertise in metal fabrication, combined with our façade design experience, enabled us to successfully address the site challenges, the complexities of the architectural design and deliver the project on time and to the very highest standards.”

David Clark, Managing Director of Spanwall, said: “Our ongoing investment in digital design and smart manufacturing technology allowed us to produce dimensionally accurate rainscreen sub-assemblies in a controlled factory environment. This solution simplified work on site and maximised efficiency for our project partners, Alucraft.

 

“By embracing advanced manufacturing methodologies and digital technology, we can significantly improve both the quality and speed of metal cladding installations. We look forward to collaborating with Alucraft on future façade projects, both in the UK and Ireland.”

Spanwall created digital twins of every component for the cladding package. This allowed the design to be validated digitally before proceeding into manufacture and facilitated online simulation of the metal folding process. Spanwall was then able to pre-configure all connection points for the individual cladding components to ensure seamless final assembly in the factory once every part had been manufactured and painted.

The bespoke rainscreen façade for Fifteen George’s Quay has enhanced the aesthetic appeal of this landmark commercial building and has provided a robust, low-maintenance façade solution that meets the stringent performance requirements for a waterside location.

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Michael McDonnell Managing Editor of Irish Construction Industry Magazine & Plan Magazine

Email: michael@irishconstruction.com      WWW.MCDMEDIA.IE