We were invited to carry out Cladding Coating work at The Quadrant in Chester, here’s an overview of the project which is now complete
The Quadrant central courtyard before we started work on the cladding coating
When we were approached to do the cladding coating on the exterior walls of an office building in Chester, we were delighted to get involved. Chester, our fair county’s capital city, is a mere 20 minutes from or HQ in the middle of Cheshire. So, working locally certainly has it’s advantages. We were tasked with applying a fresh new paint system to the outside walls of the building. This formed part of a wider plan to refurbish the entire complex.
And here is the central courtyard after we had completed the cladding coating work requested. Combined with the landscaping the end result is truly remarkable.
About The Quadrant in Chester
The Quadrant is a business office complex situated on Sealand Road in Chester. Its a 2 story square shaped building with a garden courtyard at its centre. The building was constructed in the mid 1980’s using steel cladding and concrete. It has been fully occupied by various companies ever since it first opened in 1987. The exterior has therefore suffered the usual weathering to the paintwork.
Chester has benefited from a healthy development and investment program in West Cheshire since the 1980’s. Attracting new business to the city has been a priority for many years now. The surrounding trading estates, including Cheshire West Business Park, where promoted for development by the city council. At the same time strict conservation controls have continued to be upheld in the city centre, ensuring its rich heritage is protected. All part of the wider plan to maintain the reputation for modern thinking and traditional values, that Chester has worked so hard for over the years.
Above you can see an aerial view of the building. This photograph was taken some months after our work was completed. It shows the new branding above the entrance and unfortunately some weathering on the cladding panels at car park level.
The architectural design of the Quadrant really was state of the art when it first opened. Businesses were queuing up to rent office space at the complex. Until 2014 the exterior cladding colour scheme had remained largely the same. A green and brown format, which in the 1980’s was a very modern look. However, time moves on and so do colour trends.
The Cladding Coating Work
Re-coating cladding on this building wasn’t the only purpose for this project. The protection of the steel structure of the building was also taken into consideration. We attended numerous meetings and site surveys prior to starting work. This enabled us to gain a good understanding of what was required. We carry our meticulous site surveys on all such projects, which allows us present a project plan to our clients, that best serves their needs and the needs of the building itself.
This shows the transformation of the building from a dull 1980s brown and green colour scheme to the modern light shades of grey you see on the right.
Scaffolding work The Quadrant in Chester
Scaffolding erection at The Quadrant prior to starting work on the cladding coating.
As soon as we were given the go ahead to start work, our first task was to erect scaffolding. Health and Safety is a key aspect of all our projects. We only deal with reputable sub-contractors as the safety of our staff is paramount at all times. A site check, including health and safety, is carried out once the scaffolding has been assembled. We are also able to carry out a final closer inspection of all the areas to be coated. We are then able to make any final adjustments to the scheduled tasks that may be necessary.
Wash down and a full preparation of all the areas to be coated was the next task. Painting the outer parts of the guttering was also required in addition to the cladding. This included the gutters themselves, the hopper heads and gutter downpipes. We used a darker shade of grey for the gutter elements to create a good contrast with the cladding. We liaised closely with our client in the paint selection process and were on hand to provide advice when requested.
Exterior cladding at the Quadrant in Chester before we started work.
The cladding after SteelSeal had been applied, an amazing transformation!
To gain access to the different sections to be worked on, we utilised a variety of equipment. Ranging from cherry pickers and the scaffolding to simple step ladders, we had everything needed for the job on-site. Overall we had no issues to report and made good progress which was partly helped by some good weather. Disruption was kept to a minimum by our courteous staff and we worked outside normal office hours on certain tasks.
For the cladding coating itself, once wash down and loose paint removal was complete, we spot treated any bare metal with a SteelSeal primer before we applied the topcoat. We used Steelseal for the top coating on the cladding at The Quadrant. SteelSeal is our coating of choice, due to its weather resistance and versatility in colour matching. It’s semi-gloss finish gives stunning results and requires repainting less frequently than other systems.
Please feel free to leave a comment below about this project, we would like to hear your thoughts and feedback. Thanks for reading!
Project complete, all packed up and ready for the next job…
