At the new £15 million John Lewis department store in York, an 1,800m2 Ardal cladding system from Carea has helped to deliver a striking aesthetic befitting of the company’s first shop to open in its 150th anniversary year.
DLA Architecture developed detailed designs for the John Lewis shop from concept designs produced by architects Brooker Flynn as part of the overall design for the £90 million Vangarde Shopping Park built by Caddick Construction for developer The Oakgate Group. Following its successful specification and installation at the major refurbishment of John Lewis Exeter – Carea’s Ardal range once again proved the perfect solution to meet the aesthetic and durability demands of “the UK's favourite retailer”.
Installation of the Ardal cladding in Joal colour and Riven finish by specialist contractor Coverstructure was also quick and simple thanks to the Carea facade system. Each panel is supplied with specialised horizontal rails that fit onto vertical cladding supports, with precisely routed grooves on the top and bottom. This simple fix provides a totally seamless finish to maintain the stunning appearance of this landmark project.
For the canopy area over the new store’s entrance, Carea had to cut a series of panels at an angle of approximately 20° before installing with through fixing. A number of panels were also cut at even tighter angles to meet the complex design, whilst Carea developed a bespoke 40mm rail to be used in the signage area.
“This is the second project we have completed with John Lewis,” said Carea UK sales manager Richard Hunt. “At John Lewis York we worked closely with DLA Architecture and Coverstructure to ensure our bespoke Ardal cladding system delivered exactly what John Lewis required at this high-profile development.”
As well as providing an outstanding aesthetic, Carea cladding also provides excellent benefits to sustainability. Composed of a cutting edge composite that contains 95% mineral elements – developed over 30 years by the company’s expert technicians – the panels can be recycled at the end of their usable life.
Now installed, Carea’s Ardal panels will provide John Lewis, its Partners (staff) and customers with a wide range of benefits including exceptional and long term durability. Easily cleaned and requiring minimal maintenance, it is a highly economical cladding solution that will look good for years.
Following the installation of the Ardal cladding system, the shop’s stylish and impressive facade will ensure it serves as a focal point for the new Vangarde Shopping Park.
The Oakgate Group secured outline planning permission for the Vangarde Shopping Park from the City of York Council in July 2012 and following months of environmental work including individually catching and rehoming Great Crested Newts, the Caddick team commenced construction in March 2013.
