New NGS Macmillan Unit demonstrates how Corian® enhances healthcare design
The new NGS Macmillan Unit by The Manser Practice offers an optimum range of treatment, testing and care facilities at the NHS Chesterfield Royal Hospital, and also features an impressive ventilated façade made from Corian® Solid Surface.
Increasingly specified for exterior cladding – and healthcare facilities – Corian® has much to offer for a wide range of critical applications. Versatile, sophisticated, durable and reliable, Corian® can answer a multitude of design and hygiene challenges.
Six-point Corian® scrub station at the Vital Álvarez-Buylla Hospital in Mieres. The side panels can be accessed and backlit via LED. Verónica Durán Sela Architecture Studio. Photography Marcos Morilla for Corian® Design. All rights reserved.
Guy Barlow, project architect at The Manser Practice for the Macmillan Unit says, “The use of Corian® internally in buildings is well known in various forms, from work surfaces to cladding and even lighting. On this project it was selected for a number of reasons. Technically, it can be thermoformed and jointed, allowing curves to be introduced and corners mitred. A further advantage is the ability to laser cut artwork, while its subtle translucency lends a softness, particularly at night when light falls across it. It is also a hygienic material that is easy to clean and maintain.”
The façade was created by expert Corian® Industrial Partners, Unique Fabrications. MD Greg Beaver explains, “The system uses an open visible joint with a black breather membrane behind. We worked closely with The Manser Practice and Corian® distributors CDUK on CAD drawings and a mock-up and were able to reassure them about all the key safety and fire rating certifications that the material has achieved after standard testing. The façade design includes custom firebreaks to cavity walls. Over 1,000 square metres of Corian® in a 12mm thickness Glacier White was applied. This featured perforated panels to the windows and large radius panels thermoformed to the precise shapes required, plus external fins, also clad in Corian®. The fabrication and installation using Kiel fixings took three months.”
Corian® enjoys a long tradition of use in healthcare facilities, whether public or privately funded, offering an elegant and cost-effective solution to longevity, adaptability, strength and hygiene. Naturally homogenous and non-porous, Corian® is resistant to staining and to the growth of mould and germs, and by virtue of its ability to be thermoformed and seamlessly joined, offers a sleek and flowing finish with nowhere for dirt to hide.
General Reception at the Vital Álvarez-Buylla Hospital in Mieres. Design, Verónica Durán Sela Architecture Studio. Photo Marcos Morilla for Corian® Design. All rights reserved
Corian® is used both decoratively and functionally in hospitals, clinics and laboratories. From wall-panelling and reception desks to working surfaces, scrub rooms and patient bathrooms, it adds both pleasing aesthetics and confidence in performance. Able to withstand daily wear and tear, including abrasive cleaning and power washing, Corian® can also be seamlessly restored if necessary. It offers good resistance to freeze-thaw cycles in exterior use and to many common chemicals and agents within healthcare environments, plus reassuring certification for hygiene, fire rating and indoor air quality. Its renowned longevity and ethical manufacture also makes the material a sustainable choice.
Over 1,000 square metres of Corian® in Glacier White has been applied for an open-jointed façade using a Keil fixing system. Supplied by CDUK, the Corian® façade was made and installed by Unique Fabrications.
An unbeatable combination of the design credentials to create warm, welcoming and uplifting environments, together with functional properties that afford genuine peace of mind, makes Corian® the ideal solution for modern healthcare environments. An exclusive and innovative colour palette of over 100 choices means that any chromatic scheme can be catered to while advanced fabrication from a network of highly skilled partners enables unlimited creativity. There is also a range of colours available offering enhanced translucency for lighting effects and a specific range of hues for exterior facades.
In terms of the success of the NGS Macmillan Unit project, Simon Towers Communications Advisor for the Chesterfield Royal says, “Our cancer outpatient services were spread across different areas of the hospital, not always in the most ideal environments. Some areas had no natural light and were cramped and short of space. This new unit brings all services together, making it easier for patients and more efficient for staff. The difference is enormous! The team are delighted with results and the building looks fantastic inside and out. Having a pristine exterior that is also easy to maintain, and even repair if needed, will help to keep the new building looking clean and fresh, a benefit for staff and patients alike.”
More information on Corian® for healthcare: www.corian.com/corianforhealthcare/brochure
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T: 0800 962 116 E: info@corian.co.uk or visit www.corian.uk
