The Weldale Street project is a significant urban regeneration initiative in Reading, Berkshire which involves replacing outdated retail units with 427 residential apartments. This project is part of a broader effort to revitalise the area, providing modern housing and commercial spaces to support the community's growth.
BECT Building Contractors recently completed a significant stage in the project – phase 2, which featured the installation of 720sqm of VitraDual aluminium in RAL 7008 (Khaki Green) colour, fabricated into cassette panels. These panels were expertly installed to the building’s façade by M-CLAD Industrial Roofing and Cladding Ltd.
These high-quality panels were chosen for their durability and aesthetic appeal, providing a modern and sleek finish to the building's exterior. VitraDual panels are 100% non-combustible, achieving classification of A1 when tested to BS EN 13501-1. This makes them the safest choice for buildings requiring high fire safety standards.
The cassette panels were installed to the façade using Valcan’s Vitrafix aluminium subframe VF1 system. VF1 ensures a robust and secure attachment, contributing to the overall longevity and performance of the façade system and gives the façade up to 30-year warranty.
Key Features:
Durability: The VitraDual cassettes are designed to withstand harsh weather conditions, ensuring the building remains protected and visually appealing for years to come.
Aesthetic Appeal: The Khaki Green colour adds a unique and contemporary touch to the building, enhancing its overall appearance.
Warranty: The installation of the full Vitrafix VF1 system behind the panels comes with a 30-year warranty, providing peace of mind and assurance of quality.
This project highlights the successful collaboration between BECT Building Contractors Limited and M-CLAD Industrial Roofing and Cladding Ltd, showcasing the superior quality and performance of Valcan's VitraDual and Vitrafix products. The result is a durable, a safe, aesthetically pleasing façade that will stand the test of time.
Valcan VitraDual can be custom-designed into a wide range of shapes and dimensions as well as able to be perforated or curved in some applications making it a versatile design choice.
VitraDual is one of the few large format cladding panels that are truly 100% non-combustible achieving A1* to BS EN 13501-1. Also tested to BS8414-2 for fire performance of external cladding systems and compliant to BR135 requirements - certificates are available which include VitraDual in specific configurations.
VitraDual has also been successfully tested to CWCT standards at a safety loading of 3600pa in both cassette fix and rivet fix using VitraFix as the subframe system.
VitraDual (3mm) comes with a BBA (certificate number 20/5824) giving an external cladding service life of at least 30 years - see section 10 of the BBA.
Please download the test reports here for full specifications, limitations and criteria.
VitraDual gives the insurers, architects, contractors and building owners peace of mind on product specification.