Complete Knauf Semi-Exposed Soffit System Specified in New London Designer Outlet
Knauf UK has specified, designed and supplied a complete Knauf AQUAPANEL® Exterior Soffit system for a brand-new luxury shopping destination at The O2 in London.
ICON Outlet at The O2 is a 210,000 square foot designer outlet shopping centre that complements the world’s busiest entertainment complex, which remained open to visitors throughout the works. The site was made even more challenging as The O2 sits directly next to the River Thames.
This led to the decision to specify the complete Knauf AQUAPANEL® Exterior Ceiling System, incorporating Knauf Coated Metal, Knauf AQUAPANEL® Cement Board SkyLite and accessories, and Knauf Render Dual Coat System (SM700 Pro, Reinforcing Mesh and Conni S finish).
Matthew Mooney, Pre-Construction Director from Novo Facades explained: “The O2 is close to the River Thames so the architect treated the site as a marine environment due to the amount of moisture in the air. We were worried about the risk of corrosion, but Knauf’s AQUAPANEL® system has a coated metal grid so that was the main reason for choosing to specify Knauf.
“We are very happy with the products used – they were really easy to install and the process itself took just seven weeks. We had one minor issue, but one of the Knauf technical advisers came to site and showed our team how to install the product correctly.”
Richard Lord, Knauf Technical Development Manager - AQUAPANEL®, added: “Knauf was introduced to the project by the façade and soffit contractor, Novo Facades, in the summer of 2017, where we worked together to create the specification and design for submission into the package sub contractor Lindner Group and main contractor ISG for approval. Work started on site for the soffit system in late August 2018 and was completed before the zone opened to the public.
The ICON Outlet, a Joint Venture project between Crosstree Real Estate Partners and site owner AEG, is home to 80 luxury retail outlets including Hobbs, Karen Millen and Kurt Geiger.
