Project Data
Value: £500k
Architect: Weedon Architects
Main Contractor: Lendlease
Subcontractor: The SCS Group
Distributor: Encon Insulation & Nevill Long, Leeds
Products used: Knauf Performer, Knauf Isolator, Knauf MF Suspended Ceiling System, Knauf AQUAPANEL® Cement Board Indoor, Knauf Wallboard, Knauf Moisture Panel, Knauf Coreboard, Knauf Soundshield Plus, Knauf Performance Plus, jointing, drywall accessories and fixings.
A new residential complex in Manchester city centre is benefitting from full Knauf drywall systems to provide high-quality homes for its new residents.
Knauf Performer, Knauf Isolator, Knauf MF Suspended Ceiling System, along with Knauf AQUAPANEL® Cement Board Indoor and a range of Knauf standard and high performance plasterboards have been specified for use on the Potato Wharf residential complex. Designed by Weedon Architects, the Manchester development will provide 191 luxury apartments a short walk from the city centre.
Dave Vanderson, Weedon Architects Senior Director, was complimentary of the continued support Knauf provided, with the project having started in 2016. He says “Potato Wharf has taken a while to come to fruition, so both we and Knauf have come on a journey to get to where it is. We deliberated questions back and forth between ourselves and Knauf helped us specify a package that met all the design details we needed. It’s been hard work to get to this point, but Knauf have been really helpful.”
Potato Wharf is set within a vibrant city centre and next to a railway and metro line, so ensuring best possible sound isolation was a necessity. The Knauf Isolator system is a twin frame system designed to divide habitable dwellings and reduce sound transmission between adjacent spaces. Combined with Knauf’s high performance plasterboards and Knauf insulation, the system can achieve an exceptional acoustic sound reduction of up to 79dB (Rw).
Knauf’s most versatile system, Performer, was also installed on the project. It is a lightweight and strong solution and can be specified with confidence for an enormous range of applications. In addition and similarly adaptable and easy to construct, the Knauf MF Suspended Ceiling System was used throughout the project.
To ensure durability and minimal future maintenance, Knauf AQUAPANEL® Cement Board Indoor was also specified for use in the bathrooms. It is a tough, impact and water resistant glass-fibre reinforced cement board, providing a solid tile backing substrate for wet and humid indoor areas.
Vidette Smith, Business Unit Manager of Nevill Long, described how collaboration with Knauf and SCS helped keep the project on track: “SCS were extremely organised with call off material orders placed at the beginning of the project. This enabled us to bring in Knauf material well in advance of delivery dates. The collaborative relationship between Knauf, Nevill Long and SCS ensured materials were delivered on time and in full.”
Potato Wharf will provide luxury one- and two-bedroom apartments in an architecturally rich environment. It is set amongst charming surrounding waterways in a lively modern community within a historic setting, and has the Castlefield Urban Heritage Park right around the corner.