Colman at Touchwood retail site
Colman louvres protect Solihull’s giant shopping centre against wind rain and snow.
External and Penthouse Louvres from Colman – part of Eaton-Williams – provide
protection against the weather for plant rooms housing ventilation and air
conditioning equipment at Touchwood, the new £110-million retail and
leisure destination in Solihull in the West Midlands.
Opened in September 2001 Touchwood is a 650,000 square-foot retail and leisure development sympathetically integrated into Solihull’s town-centre. With its naturally lit arcades, leafy courtyards and open spaces Touchwood provides a new home for leading designers and retail outlets including John Lewis’s only department store in the West Midlands. When shopping is done, visitors can choose from a range of bars, cafes and restaurants, or the nine screens at the Cineworld multiplex cinema.
Lend Lease Real Estate Investment Services Ltd manage Touchwood.
Plant rooms
The equipment, which provides control of Touchwood’s environment, is located in plant rooms on the upper storeys and roofs of the buildings. Horizontal Louvres from Colman protect the points at which fresh air is drawn into the buildings and stale air is discharged, denying entry to wind, rain and snow.
In some areas airflow is by natural ventilation, while in others, such as the powered systems serving the guest facilities and welcome halls, supply and extract ductwork is connected directly to the back of the louvres.
In the car park, which can house over 1700 vehicles and large volumes of supply and exhaust air are being handled, Colman Penthouse Louvres with Blade Type V construction have been used. This special louvre blade profile has several unique features, making it suitable for use in areas subject to the most severe weather conditions. Blades incorporate anti-cascade, blow-back traps and are set on a 70mm pitch inclined at 45 degrees. Special extruded cill sections are used to collect and drain water away from the louvre blades.
Built into the louvred penthouses on the car park roof Type V Blades protect Touchwood against the worst the weather can do.
The penthouses and the other types of external louvres supplied to Touchwood have been finished at the Colman factory in a range of colours including Gatwick Silver to match the subtly varying colour scheme of the buildings.
The concept architects were Eric Kuhne Associates and architects for the Touchwood arcades and leisure village were BDG McColl. Mechanical and Electrical services consultants were WSP Consulting Engineers and Haden Young Ltd were mechanical and electrical contractors.