Product News

Architecture Ireland presents a selection of innovative products and materials that have been specified by architects for the buildings feature in this issue.

Kilsaran Paves the Way for Wexford County Offices
Kilsaran’s innovative paving products feature extensively in the new offices for Wexford County Council. Clima-Pave, a permeable paving solution was used for 5000m2 of car parking bays at Wexford. The Clima-Pave blocks were manufactured in a special grey colour for the body of the bays and in a white colour for the demarcation lines. The process of shot-blasting gives a fine textured feel to paving. Kilsaran’s state-of-the-art maunfacturing facility in Dunboyne has five secondary finishing lines, one of which is a shot-blasting line. A further 5,500m2 of Kilsaran’s Slane Paving Blocks (200 x 100 x 80mm) in a shot-blasted finish and made-to-order grey colour were used on the roadways around the building. Pedestrian areas also feature this innovative product, with a further 3500m2 of the same block (in a 200 x 200 x 80mm size) used. Completing the textured look, shot-blasted Newgrange Flags (600 x 600 x 50mm) were used for the roof and balcony areas. Tactile Flags were also specially made for the new County offices in a made-to-order grey colour. www.kilsaran.ie

Stonetech’s Kilkenny Blue Limestone Façade
Wexford County Council headquarters has been the largest single projects in Ireland for the Irish Blue Limestone industry in over 10 years. Stonetech Cladding Ltd has provided over 4000m2 of Kilkenny Blue Limestone cladding and paving for this landmark project. All the stone selected was to the highest quality and standards of workmanship. “We are particularly proud of this project because of the use of the Irish stone and the technically challenging design”, said Colin Feely, Managing Director of Stonetech. A huge part of the challenge was the fact that the cladding panels were over 1800mm long and therefore it was difficult to quarry blocks big enough to supply such a large quantity of cladding. The internal street pavers are 1200x1200x30mm, which puts enormous pressure on a quarry to produce 1800m2 of panels of this large size and still maintain the high standard of workmanship. Stonetech worked closely with the quarry supplier ‘Kilkenny Limestone’ to ensure the quality was maintained and the project brought in on budget. The close collaboration of the Wexford Co Co, the design team and all the main sub-contractors made it possible to bring the project to a successful completion and achieve a building of outstanding design that is a credit to all involved. Visit www.stonetech.ie to see a list of other prestigious buildings they have been involved in over the years.

VM Zinc Quartz Panels Top Rathmines Square
Metal Processors LTD’s clean line VM Zinc Quartz interlocking panels were installed for the roofs at Rathmines Square. A total of 1,500m2 of the product was used. Metal Processors LTD are the main agent and distributor of both VM Zinc and LUVATA copper panel ranges for the Irish market. The company offers a full design assistance to architects to ensure correct detailing of products. A full list of recommended Irish installers is also available to install both product ranges. Metal Processors LTD also supply a full range of complimentary rainwater systems in both zinc and copper. Our product portfolio further includes METDECK tm, which is a warm roof insulation decking board for under traditional standing seam roofing systems. METDECK offers superb U-value allied with a thin solution, the insulation board also has a Class O fire-rating. METDECK’S ease of fit and compatibility with roofing contractors make it a must-use product for both the contractor and architect alike. www.metalprocessors.ie

Richardsons Ceramics: Unique Hydrophylic Coating
for Swimming Pools
Richardsons Ceramics offer a range of stunning tiles and innovative technology. Wherever it is a matter of cleanliness and hygiene, the innovative Hydrotect coating technology from Deutsche Steinzeug sets totally new standards. The unique hydrophylic coating provides wall and floor tiles with revolutionary properties. Whether at home, in swimming pools, hospitals, large kitchens or railway stations: Hydrotect guarantees everywhere brilliant cleanliness and perfect hygiene with a minimum of cleaning effort. Permanently burnt in and thus practically indestructible, Hydrotect is the first tile coating with a long-term guarantee. The colours in the Chroma II range are designed for use in swimming pools providing under water effect, light refraction and reflection.
Since market launch in 2007, the XENO range has undergone extremely successful development. The main areas of application to date have included foyers, administrative buildings, schools, hotels, restaurants, shop design and similarly representative areas as well as up-market apartment buildings. And the range of attractive decors extended in 2011 increases the range of applications for these high-quality design tiles. The Polygon and Prisma decors in the XENO by German manufacturer AGROB BUCHTAL also were awarded to significant design prizes recently. www.richardsonsceramics.ie

Article as seen in Architecture Ireland issue 258