BENCHMARK And Shackerley Join Forces To Bring Exterior Cladding Solution To Ireland

Thanks to a successful alliance between two of the best known names in the exterior cladding market, architects across Ireland can now take advantage of an innovative and exceptionally attractive and hardwearing external façade solution boasting remarkable thermal and acoustic insulation properties.

The partnership is between Shackerley, the UK’s market leading manufacturer and prefabricator of ceramic granite façade cladding, and BENCHMARK Façade & Roof systems, a sub-division of Kingspan Insulated Panels, the global leader in the manufacture of building envelopes.
As a result of their initiative, Irish specifiers of the BENCHMARK Karrier system are now being offered the facility to combine the advanced technology of the insulated engineered wall system with the premium aesthetics and performance of a ceramic granite façade finish from Shackerley’s extensive Sureclad® Collection.
Shackerley and BENCHMARK first joined forces in year 2000,adding ceramic granite to a growing range of contemporary façades available with the BENCHMARK Karrier system in the UK.
Since then, the option has proved so popular and has led to so many prestigious project specifications, the Shackerley/BENCHMARK partnership model is now being replicated across Ireland.
In the UK, joint cladding projects range from impressive new colleges, schools, clinics and police facilities to refurbished fire stations and commercial buildings.

One of the most striking developments in the private sector is the new Aberdeen HQ designed for by TCD Architects for Technip UK Limited.
The same highly polished black ceramic granite façade used on this impressive building was also used to great effect at the £22m state-of-the-art Strathclyde Fire &Training Rescue Centre in Cambuslang.
A very different aesthetic has been created for three new standout facilities designed for Avon & Somerset Police by Ryder Architects and Haverstock where the BENCHMARK Karrier system had been specified by the main contractor, Miller Construction (now owned by Galliford Try).
The architectural practices collaborated closely to deliver consistency in design across the new build developments in Bridgwater, Patchway and Keynsham, using attractive white ceramic granite façade to achieve the high quality, timeless appearance required by their client.
Architects at Henry J Lyons in Cork and Minihan Crane in New Ross have recently completed two very different projects using the BENCHMARK Karrier engineered system in conjunction with Shackerley’s ceramic granite façade.
Henry J Lyons were responsible for the ‘Net-Zero Energy’refurbishment project at Cork Institute of Technology.
Project Architect Turlough Clancy explained: “Our brief was to develop a façade system that offered a new contemporary exterior finish to the existing façade while also achieving exceptional U-values and airtightness.
“We chose BENCHMARK ceramic granite façade as it both respected and expressed the modular nature of the existing building.”Minihan Crane Architects have also used this innovative cladding solution to transform the Dunbrody Visitor Centre in New Ross, delivering eye-catching exteriors that reflect the imposing Dunbrody Famine ship moored at the quayside and the ever-changing appearance of the River Barrow over which the visitor facility has been extended.
For further information on Shackerley’s ceramic granite cladding and links with BENCHMARK by Kingspan please speak to the technical
team at Shackerley on +44 1257 273114 or visit www.shackerley.com