Swansea Coppergate dressed in shimmering Rockpanel Chameleon

The creative vision of architects Maith Design, Coppergate stands in the heart of Swansea city centre dressed in a shimmering, fire-safe, Rockpanel Chameleon external façade.

The developer behind Coppergate is Crosslane Student Developments, Managing Director, David Smith commented, “Crosslane has been able to fully realise our ambition to create a beautiful, contemporary landmark structure that not only enhances its surroundings but meets a pressing demand for high quality accommodation to house students attending both the University of Swansea and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.”

Forming a valuable part of the Council’s regeneration of the busy Kingsway thoroughfare, Coppergate provides residents with amazing views across the city and out to the coast. The £18M student living complex comprises 24 self-contained studio apartments and 286 en-suite cluster suites spread across a 14 storey tower block and twin six storey wings. Set in a horseshoe formation around a private landscaped central courtyard, the building also features communal spaces, study hubs, a reception and several commercial units.

David Smith added, “We are delighted with the striking, colour-changing chameleon façade that exhibits the building name of Coppergate perfectly, chosen to reference the ‘Copper’ industry during the 19^th Century for which Swansea is well known, along with ‘gate’ as an opportunity to progress, and getting from here to there, which we felt was appropriate for students.”

Complete design freedom
Made from natural and sustainable volcanic basalt rock with an organic binder, the wide range of designs and colours Rockpanel Chameleon is available in enables specifiers to explore new possibilities and realise their most creative ambitions while satisfying rigorous fire safety standards.

Around 2250m² of Chameleon makes up the Coppergate façade in a palette of matt Red, Gold, Purple and Grey RAL 7010. The arrangement of colours bring visual interest to the building which is accentuated as the changing weather reflects light across its surface.

Stringent fire safety characteristics
Contracts Manager, Dave Pierpoint of main contractors, Create Construction, said, “Recent changes to the National Building Regulations mean exterior cladding for this type of construction must comply with stringent fire safety performance characteristics to ensure the protection and safety of the building’s users. The total system at Coppergate satisfies the regulation requirements of BS EN 13501-1 for buildings over 18m in height.”

Euroclass A2 rated Chameleon complies with these regulations while enabling creativity in specification for both new build, renovation or retro-fit and upgrading projects. The range is available in three different gloss grades in addition to the matt finish used at Coppergate.

A great success
Rockpanel Specification Manager, Ann Bone, “Coppergate is a great success story that we are very pleased to be part of. Chameleon, like all our facades, is lightweight and easy to cut on site without the need to seal edges. That makes installation quicker, which saves time and money. Here they were fixed with durable powder coated rivets. In addition, the highly resilient, weather, temperature and UV resistant facade will require little or no maintenance throughout its long life.”

The scale and complexity of high-rise residential properties constitute a particular challenge when it comes to ensuring the various parts of an external façade cladding system work efficiently together, are easy to install and conform to the same stringent building regulations. Bespoke, comprehensive technical information and support is on-hand from the Rockpanel team throughout every project.

Photos: Credits to John Wellings Photography and Create Construction