Advanced ventilated façade technology from Hunter Douglas has been used to construct a new hi-tech research building at Liverpool University.

The new £1.3m Liverpool NMR Centre for structural biology houses one of the largest Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometers in the UK, a machine which enables research scientists to look at molecules at very high resolutions.

As a result of this state-of-the-art equipment, it was imperative to ensure strict control of the internal environment of the NMR Centre. Internal temperature, for example, cannot vary more than 0.1 degrees per hour.

In addition, because of the sensitivity of the magnetic equipment, part of the brief for the building was that it contained only non-ferrous materials. Wooden beams were used for the roof and fibreglass reinforcement joints were specially designed for the project.


Hunter Douglas's advanced aluminium-based QuadroClad ventilated façade (rainscreen) system was specified largely for this reason. The manufacturer supplied three different colours of façade panels to help create the 'landmark' design, which was also part of the brief.

The use of QuadroClad also maximises the thermal control and natural ventilation of the building, keeping U-Values to a minimum with fewer fixings and therefore fewer cold bridges through the underlying concrete substrate.

Andrew Lee, General Manager of Hunter Douglas Façade & Sun Control Systems, said: "The brief for the NMR Centre was particularly tight with regards to its practical function. QuadroClad was the perfect solution to meet these needs.

"But due to the flexibility of the integrated QuadroClad ventilated façade system, we've also managed to achieve an extremely eye-catching result."

The Liverpool NMR Centre specialises in the study of infectious diseases, such as malaria, and is a leading centre for drug discovery.

(CD/JM)