Weber - Just What The Doctor Ordered

Published by Jackie Biggin for Weber in Health and also in Housing

A combination of products by Weber, the leading manufacturer of building materials, have been used in the construction of the retro-style Dorchester Medical Centre located in the new town known as Brewery Square, Dorset.

Here, on the redevelopment site of the former Eldridge Pope Brewery which closed in 2003, the Brewery Square will provide new restaurants, bars, extensive shopping facilities, a cinema and a hotel, as well as a replacement solar-powered railway station and around 650 new dwellings. Other buildings have been converted and collectively Brewery Square is one of the largest regeneration projects in the South West.

At the Dorchester Medical Centre, main applications contractor Formscape Ltd. of Poole, Dorset achieved a consistent finish to a stunning curved three-tier front facade. Using high performance Weber External Wall Insulation to two of the three tiers, the weber.therm XP system of phenolic insulation and mesh has been applied externally to a sound metal framework structure and finished with a cementitious topcoat of weber.therm M1, a one coat, through coloured mineral render to achieve a scrape finish.

The entrance facade and lobby, a blockwork structure, has been finished with weber.pral MF and the side and rear elevations with weber.pral M. Both products are one-coat for fast application and through-coloured for low maintenance, and are factory produced for consistency. In this project, Weber materials have been manually applied although they are suitable for spray application.

“This project was all about performance and aesthetics and the capacity Weber materials have in working together while achieving different but complimentary finishes,” says Dale Robson, Contracts Manager, Formscape Ltd. “This was a big and prominent project but we kept just one team on the job as consistency of finish was an essential requirement.”

The building sits between an 1840’s red brick building with attractive period detailing, and a Victorian dwelling. “The Medical Centre could be considered out of keeping with its immediate neighbours but aesthetically, it works,” continues Dale Robson. “Using Weber EWI was relatively new to us but we benefited from attending Weber’s Bedfordshire-based training facility and it is exactly as they say – it’s a fast, simple and totally effective method of achieving a high performance, thermally efficient building with tremendous, low maintenance aesthetics.”

Formscape is also involved in the phased development of Poundbury by the Duchy of Cornwall, Dorset where they are extensively using weber.pral M.

Further details on Weber external wall insulation systems and decorative renders can be found on www.netweber.co.uk, or telephone 01525 722169.