Altro resins transform University renovation

A package of Altro resins products have been used to transform a 30 year old building, which was previously part of the Hewlett Packard campus in Bristol, into the University of the West of England (UWE) Future Space. The building is used by Research and Development project teams to nurture start-up companies working in the fields of robotics and smart-controlled machinery and vehicles. The renovation project was completed by BAM Construction.

The timelines for the project were tight, but an added complication was that half the building needed to continue to be occupied by the staff of the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. This meant that noise, dust, vibration and odours had to be kept to a minimum. Lucie Phillips, at WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff architects said “We felt, as designers, that a standard resin or vinyl floor finish would look bland in such a large space so we started to explore the options of using a feature resin and we are exceptionally happy with the results of the final product.”

A combination of Altro resins products was used to create solutions for areas such as the circulation hub, main access route from the entrance to the hub, laboratories, workshops and corridors. Products were selected for their UV stability and slip-resistance, flexibility and durability.

The renovation of an old building into a home for such hi-tech industries demanded a significant transformation. Large new sky-lights flooded the central circulation hub with natural daylight, which in-turn greatly increased UV light illuminating the light-coloured quartz floor, so Altro and WSP Parsons Brinkerhoff enhanced colour stability by including clear UV-stable seal coats.

Polydeck Resins Ltd were selected to install the floors, but the project still faced a number of challenges, some of which were not anticipated. Polydeck were able to provide ongoing specification guidance to improve the resultant finishes and problem-solving assistance with programming before and during the installation in order to help to bring the project to completion by the required date.