Seen to be done
17th May 2016

Curtain walling by KAWNEER has been used on all four elevations of the £14 million Aberdeen Criminal Justice Centre designed by frequent Kawneer specifier Ryder Architecture.

The curtain walling, made with the manufacturer’s AA100 zone-drained curtain walling, with 50mm sightlines, horizontal face caps and gaskets to vertical glass and glass joints at mullion locations, is complemented by thermally-enhanced top-hung casement windows as inserts on the south and west elevations, AA110 dry slope rooflights with 65mm sightlines, and series 190 heavy-duty commercial entrance doors It was all installed by Kawneer-approved sub-contractor Linn-Tech Scotland for main contractor Balfour Beatty.

The 4,518m2 building for Police Scotland via North Hub Scotland comprises a 60-cell custody facility with offices and virtual courts for the criminal justice department and space for an integrated local policing team.

The custody facility is placed on a precast concrete plinth which merges with the landscape (former railway sidings) while the office space and local policing team are located in the steel-framed pavilion above - the element wrapped in the Kawneer curtain walling.

Ryder architectural director Chris Malcolm said: “The Kawneer systems play a significant part in the project as we needed to have a very clean glazed façade. Aluminium is just recognised as a standard acceptable finish in terms of sustainability but the SG system allowed us to express the horizontality of the façade.

“The glazed elements were integral to the concept of a solid base below and lightweight transparent pavilion above. The Kawneer systems interface simply but well with the other materials used on the project. The curtain walling is continuous round all four sides of the building so is held between the concrete panels underneath and the roof plane above.”