Petrarch Planx

501 parking bays – The background

HUBER was commissioned to erect this new multi-storey car park at 110 Fulbourne Road, in Peterhouse Technologies Park, Cambridge – part of the ARM Headquarters estate. With a total of 501 parking bays the facility eases the parking situation at the commercial estate. The MSCP consists of three parking decks, the ground floor and two suspended decks, and is erected in steel frame construction with in-situ reinforced concrete floors cast onto metal liner sheets.

‘The façades of the structure are clad in Petrarch reconstituted stone panels.

These are reconstituted stone panels to render a visually stunning façade solution which simulates the colour and texture of natural stone. Huber Car Parks

We caught up with our Sales Director, Tom Walker, who had this to say about the project, having revisited the site recently.

‘I was really pleased to see our Petrarch reconstituted stone installed to a fantastically high standard, across both the original phase, some 5 years ago and the more recent extension, creating a seamless link between the two parts of the project. The spectacular design of the façade coupled with this high-quality installation has delivered a beautiful example of Petrarch applied in two very different yet equally stunning styles, expressing the characteristics of natural stone. We’re really excited to be adding this project to our portfolio, along with a celebration of a great project working with yourselves.’

In terms of both the product and service Huber has commended the APS package and very succinctly yet precisely asserted! ‘Fantastic product and fantastic customer service.’

Given that the second phase features new material, the client was super-impressed with how the old and new blend so well. Given the natural ageing qualities of Petrarch (emulating weathered stone), it makes it ideal in such instances.

Find out more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/eecxzJHg

https://www.huber-carparksystems.com/referenzen/project-cambridge-arm-peterhouse-multi-storey-car-park-united-kingdom/

If anyone would like to know more about our reconstituted stone panels, or Petrarch PlanX please get in touch – info@petrarchpanels.com

About CFS & Petrarch Panels

CFS Netherlands has been importing Petrarch’s facade panels into the Dutch market since 2008. The reconstituted stone panel is considerably lighter in weight than its natural stone rivals and is therefore so easy to install. What’s more it’s available in many colours and lends itself perfectly to a ventilated façade application.

Pete Brough, Managing Director of Architectural Panel Solutions – manufacturer of Petrarch Planx, had this to say about APS’s relationship with CFS Nederland.

‘We’re extremely proud to partner with a distributor who shares our vision and is truly excited by our products. We constantly look to ways to innovate and Petrarch PlanX is our most recent testament to this. We’re thrilled with the result of Het Baken in Zeewolde sport centre and are looking forward to developing more showcase projects on a worldwide scale. I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone involved and look forward to working closely together on more innovative projects.’

Petrarch is a reconstituted stone panel manufactured in the UK, manufactured predominantly by-product natural minerals, such as marble and stone. ” The product offers unprecedented design freedom because we can totally customise the aesthetic using custom pigments to provide a completely individual facade panel,” explains Michiel of CFS Netherlands.

“The sky is the limit with Petrarch, both in terms of colour and texture. What’s more the product is lightweight, does not absorb dirt and moisture and is very easy to clean.”

Ready-made facade system

Petrarch is available in thicknesses of 7 or 10 millimetres and is usually mechanically or adhesive fixed. “We supply the complete facade construction turnkey, including design, calculation and aluminium substructure,” says Michiel. “Everything is organised from the office in Oosterhout, which is very convenient for facade builders.” Architects also appreciate the benefits of Petrarch:

“Recent Netherlands projects finished with Petrarch façade panels are the Police Station in Bergen op Zoom and the Radisson Blu hotel in Bruges. Additionally, Petrarch also lends itself ideally to interior applications, as in the Phoenix Hotel in Brussels. The possibilities are endless when it comes to its colour palette too, with a choice of over 1500 shades as well as custom shades. For the police station project in Bergen op Zoom, for example, Van Pelt architects combined four custom colours.”

Slangen + Koenis Architecten have been strong advocates of Petrarch for many years, and are extremely proud of their Petrarch PlanX premier.

“Initially, the idea was to use precast concrete for the facade at Het Baken, but in the end we opted for Petrarch PlanX, a much lighter and a cost-effective alternative. “The advantage is that, like the sheet material, we can produce the planx in any colours and textures, so the appearance of concrete or brick can be easily emulated, which is exactly what we’ve done here. Petrarch PlanX (only 7mm thick) were supplied in three striking grey shades, resulting in an attractive and varied façade aesthetic.”