With the recent expansion of the nearby stadium and an increase in local development, there was a pressing need for high-quality accommodation in the area. Situated on the edge of the M5 motorway, Courtyard by Marriott Sandy Park Hotel was designed to be a contemporary elegant landmark which works in synchronicity with the site’s surrounding context. The mass of the building was scaled to work in conjunction with the nearby Sandy Park Stadium and a high level of glazing was used at the top-storey restaurant and the middle section to soften the hotel's visual impact, and to allow guests to enjoy primary views of the River Exe estuary.
KTA Architects specified Kingspan Facade's Recess Fixed Cassette for the majority of the building elevations. These were selected in light and dark grey colours, and in a distinctive yellow gold to mark the entrance. Kingspan provided colour swatch samples during the final tender stage to KTA to ensure the most accurate representation of the architect’s vision.
The external facade was broken down into distinct visual elements to accentuate the shape of the build. In addition to the recess-fixed cassettes, the architects specified a sleek brise solei vertical fin cladding system to provide sound dissipation and solar shading to areas of the hotel with high glazing. These two cladding systems needed to work in conjunction. As such, KTA Architects consulted with TAC Projects and Kingspan to engineer the Recess Fixed Cassette’s joints to be co-ordinated with the supporting brackets, with bespoke cut-outs implemented where needed during the manufacturing phase.
