Wallis Building Witton, Birmingham

Kingspan Insulated Panels has supplied its distinctive KS1000 MR architectural wall panels, to help integrate old with new in a major Birmingham refurbishment project.

Designed originally by contemporary architects, Wallis Gilbert and Partners, the Wallis building emulated the art deco style of the era, earning it a Grade II listing.

In 1994, IM Properties Limited acquired the building, which required major structural attention. Factory buildings that backed on to the original office block had to be demolished and in their place, a 100,000sq. ft. high bay industrial unit was erected with Kingspan Micro-Rib MR architectural wall panels specified for the external envelope.

“The challenge was to ensure that the new unit matched the existing adjacent structure in terms of aesthetics and visual appeal,” explains Michael Bates, director at Tweedale Architects, who undertook the project. “We liased closely with Kingspan’s design team to bring the new unit in line with the proportions of the existing building and for this reason, Kingspan’s MR was deemed the ideal solution.”

Flexibility in colour was also a key factor, as the clients required a colour scheme of blues and silvers that would complement the image of the existing buildings, a range that, crucially, Kingspan was able to accommodate. Facing blockwork rather than brickwork was also used to echo the rendered facade of the listed building. The result is an excellent demonstration of the integration of new and old

“Kingspan panels were a natural choice as the range of profiles, colours and trims enabled us to theme an industrial building to match a traditional and distinctive structure with no conflict in design or appearance,” concludes Michael Bates.

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