Clearview National February 2016 - Issue 171 | Page 58

doors&windows

Mixed-Use Development
uses Sturtual Glazing to
Create a Stylish Landmark
The façades of four buildings at Velocity Village – one of the
largest mixed-use developments in Yorkshire – have been entirely
replaced using 14,000m2 of curtain walling from Wicona.
»»Velocity Village
occupies a four-acre site and
provides more than 600,000sqft
of residential and commercial
space in the centre of Sheffield.
Designed by Axis Architecture,
the extensive façade replacement
was carried out by Glassolutions
working with main contractor
Jessops Construction.
The buildings are all faced in
acid-washed concrete, steel and
glass in dramatic contrast to the
scheme’s red-brick surroundings
and adding sparkle, light and life
to the city’s business district.
The architectural style is bold
in its contemporary simplicity
and has created a stylish landmark
which successfully integrates
urban living, learning and working
environments. Each elevation
is almost completely enclosed
in Wicona curtain walling to
maximise light, with floor-toceiling glazing allowing views of
the Peak District, the landscaped
courtyards or across the city.
Wicona’s WICTEC 50 SG
structural glazing was used
on every elevation of the four
buildings to replace the original
curtain walling which was no
longer watertight, and to improve
the overall quality of each
development.
The façade specification was to
create a ‘like-for-like’ frameless
glass appearance to mirror the

original architectural design. This
was achieved using the WICTEC
50 SG system which features a
‘toggle’ to retain the glazed units
within the infill channel. This
option is fast and efficient to
install, and delivers a frameless
appearance as an alternative to
silicone bonding.
The Wicona curtain walling
was also semi-unitised, which
allowed the fabrication and
assembly of the glazing units off
site for faster and more accurate
installation – an important
benefit as the buildings were
occupied throughout the façade
replacement. An area of the
glazing on the V2 office building
was also faceted across seven
storeys.
Commenting on the project,
Kevin Seers, Director of Axis
Architecture said, “The curtain
walling was a critical element
because these four buildings had
such an extensive amount of
glazing. We needed to retain the
appearance of continuous glass
and the original façade design as
closely as possible.”
“The Wicona façade system was
sufficiently flexible and versatile
to meet the design criteria and
integrated well with the windows
and doors. The WICTEC
50 SG curtain walling has
successfully and closely reflected
the appearance of the original

58 » F EB 2016 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M

buildings and we are extremely
happy with the end result. The
glazing is all performing well and
each building looks fantastic.
The façade replacement has really
helped to revitalise the whole
development. We would definitely
use Wicona’s systems again.”
In addition to the curtain
walling, Wicona also supplied,
solar shading using fixed
aluminium louvre, open-in,
side hung WICLINE evo 65
aluminium casement windows,
WICSLIDE 23 sliding doors and
WICSTYLE 65 evo outwardopening doors.
Velocity Village provides high
quality office accommodation
across seven floors and 443
premium apartments set around
landscaped courtyards. The

largest building, V2, is now
the new languages faculty for
the University of Sheffield. V3
and V4 are residential buildings
providing one and two bedroom
apartments over seven and eight
floors. V5 is a standalone building
comprising 24 two bedroom
luxury apartments over four
upp er floors, with office space on
the ground floor.
www.wicona.co.uk