With natural light a fundamental design element during the building of Shelfield Academy in the West Midlands, Brett Martin Daylight Systems has provided 350m2 of its Marlon Clickfix1040 which has helped to deliver a stunning new sports hall and stairwell offering excellent levels of diffused natural daylight into the facility.
Built by Kier Education and designed by Capita Symonds as part of a £22.5 million regeneration scheme, the Shelfield Community Academy in Walsall includes state-of-the-art new ICT, music, drama and language facilities which serve approximately 1200 students. Central to the design of the new sports hall is a seamless vertical glazed façade in the Marlon Clickfix modular glazing system.
Specialist contractor Unique Envelope Façade Solutions needed a thermally efficient method of introducing natural light into a building whilst managing internal temperatures with the Marlon Clickfix system providing the optimum combination of high light transmission and U-value, whilst also providing full UV protection.
Finished with grey powder coated glazing channels, the glass clear effect Marlon Clickfix polycarbonate sheets were used for the interlocking panel glazing system creating a seamless façade for the sports hall and several staircases which also complemented the new facility’s high quality external aesthetic. As an alternative to glass, the system also offered excellent structural durability and impact resistance.
Marlon Clickfix is a complete architectural glazing system comprising lightweight 40mm 10 wall polycarbonate panels. An extension of Brett Martin’s Marlon ST structured sheet range, its tongue and groove connections simply interlock to form glazed areas of unlimited size and shape – proving ideal for the educational facility application.
The Marlon Clickfix system took just four weeks to install, with the façades meeting the client’s aesthetic demands whilst also delivering the required standards for strength, impact resistance, fire rating and thermal insulation. Brett Martin also provided full installation support for the project – including drawings, written installation guides – with its own technical experts regularly attending site to ensure all went smoothly.
With thermally broken aluminium profiles, fixing clips and rubber gaskets, Marlon Clickfix’s simple installation is quick, efficient and safe with no need for vertical profiles, reducing both material costs and installation time. The system can also be used for roofs, as cladding or partitioning, internally or externally and comes in a range of tints and colours.
Showing that natural light can improve the atmosphere and internal aesthetics of the new school, Brett Martin, the only European company to manufacture all the main plastic rooflight materials – polycarbonate, GRP and PVC – has added Shelfield Academy to a truly impressive portfolio of educational projects.
