ADVERTORIAL
BTS Facades and Fabrications has
TruBend it like Beckham
BTS Facades and Fabrications makes significant investment in rainscreen façade manufacture
invested in a new fully-automatic
panel bending machine, TruBend
Center 7030. The first of its kind
in the country, the machine allows the
BTS team to produce its rainscreen façade
cladding systems in-house.
Design capabilities and
facility expansion
The new machine’s arrival on
May 1, marks just one part of the
large investment BTS Facades and
Fabrications has made in continuing to
turn design and architectural visions
into reality.
The company has expanded its facilities,
with a large extension of its factory and
offices. The building has undergone a full
refurbishment, with an extension clad
completely with BTS’s own manufactured
panels. The panels were created and the
latest 3D design software, allowing for
the design to be fully visualised before
implementation. Furthermore, a new
design service launched by newly formed
BTS Designs, is now providing clients
with installation drawing and material
scheduling services.
Dedicated support and
in-house specialists
The expansion, coupled with the purchase
of the new TruBend machine, has allowed
BTS to increase its operational abilities.
Expanded facilities, a growing team, and
new on-site equipment brings a rise in
production capabilities in-house. In addition
to allowing lead-times to be increasingly
competitive, in-house production growth
allows further areas of the rainscreen façade
manufacturing process to be conducted and
overseen by BTS Facades and Fabrications’
own in-house design and technical teams.
On-site invitation and a first
awards ceremony
According to BTS, full operational
transparency illustrates its aim to deliver
the highest quality systems to meet the
most varied budgets. Factory visits are
invited, and fully welcomed, to allow
existing clients, potential customers, friends
and associates to tour the new facilities and
see the equipment in action.
The completion of the external cladding
using BTS Facades and Fabrications’ own
panels will also be ready to view, enabling
architects to visualise their designs in-situ.
In addition to welcoming visits at
refurbished facilities, the company
plans to host an open day and awards
ceremony later this year. Honouring those
instrumental in leading the façade and
rainscreen innovation, the events will
take place on September 24. The awards
are being judged by an independent
architectural practice. Entry to the awards
closes on the July 26.
Committed to continually investing
in people and equipment, the expanded
facilities, new machinery, and
refurbishment works are evident of
BTS Facades and Fabrications’ ongoing
commitment to leading the way in façade
and rainscreen development.
w www.btsfabrications.co.uk
BTS has
invested in
a new fullautomatic
panel bending
machine
Wraptite enhances airtightness at Royal College
The first external fully adhered
vapour-permeable air barrier
with full BBA certification
was installed as a solution for
airtightness, weather protection
and breathability at the new
headquarters of the Royal College
of Pathologists in London.
The Wraptite air barrier system
from the A. Proctor Group is said
to be the only self-adhering
vapour-permeable air barrier
certified by the BBA and combines
the properties of vapourpermeability
and airtightness in
one self-adhering membrane. This
approach is said to save on both
the labour and material costs
associated with achieving the
demands of energy efficiency in
buildings.
Designed by architects Bennetts
Associates, the new £15 million
eight-storey building on Alie Street
in Whitechapel will become the
new home for the college and
features a double-height reception
area, flexible office space, a library,
meeting and conference rooms and
a 200-seat auditorium. Gilbert-
Ash has been chosen to build
and manage the project which
aims to reach BREEAM Excellent
assessment.
Cladding contractor Windell
installed the Wraptite System
as an external air barrier and
alternative to a traditional
standard breather membrane.
The use of a standard membrane
would have required mechanical
fixing and provided some
challenges given the concrete
structure of the building. As
an alternative, the Wraptite
self-adhesive membrane was
applied externally, quickly and
easily to the external envelope in
continuous pieces.
George Marcantonio, the site
manager of Windell, said: “The
application of the self-adhesive
Wraptite System has proven really
easy to use, and quick to apply,
with no requirement to return for
additional fixing or accessories. We
will certainly be using the system
for future projects and recommend
it without hesitation.”
Unlike internal air barriers, which
can be complex and costly to install
due to the need to accommodate
building services such as electrical,
lighting, heating and drainage
systems, positioning an air barrier
on the outside of the structural
frame is said to simplify the process
of maintaining the envelope’s
integrity, as there are less building
services and structural penetrations
to be sealed.
By reducing the likelihood
of potential failures to meet
designed airtightness levels, the
Wraptite System helps ensure “asdesigned”
performance, narrowing
the performance gap between
as-designed and actual energy
performance.
w www.proctorgroup.com
46 www.rcimag.co.uk July 2018
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