by Wojciech Brożyna – MD of Aluprof UK
Rapidly growing into a global player in the architectural aluminium systems market, Aluprof recently held its fourth International Building of the Year awards in Warsaw.
Of the fifteen projects put forward by Aluprof UK, Erskine House in Belfast won one of the top three International Awards from a total of sixty two shortlisted projects.
Tomasz Grela, CEO and President of the Management Board at ALUPROF SA said during his introduction at the awards ceremony: “All of the developments evaluated in the competition are top of the tree in terms of innovation and bespoke design solutions. The entries combine functionality, interesting aesthetics and, thanks to the use of green and low-emission products, support the idea of sustainable construction. That statement is confirmed by the fact that almost fifty of the buildings which got through to stage two of this year’s competition are BREEAM and LEED certified.”
Award winner Erskine House is a £17m development which sits prominently on Chichester Street, one of Belfast’s oldest and busiest thoroughfares. Offering 10,000 sqm of office accommodation above a ground floor retail space, the eight storey scheme comprises of limestone framed glazed screens over the lower levels, topped by a set-back two storey glazed penthouse which provides panoramic views over the city. Aluprof systems used in the construction were fabricated and installed by Walsin Limited and consisted of Aluprof’s MB-SR50N capped system and MB-SR50N EFEKT capless structural glazing systems with Aluprof’s MB-86 doors. Initially designed speculatively, the building was selected by HMRC to become their new Regional Hub in Northern Ireland.
Prior to the awards ceremony, ALUPROF hosted the international Future Builders conference, where prominent architects from Poland and around the world discussed current trends with particular emphasis on the future of architecture, design, sustainable construction and modern city culture. Neil Pennel, Head of Design Innovation and Property Solutions at Landsec in the UK was among the panellists invited to contribute their insights as a guest of Aluprof UK. During the panel discussion entitled ‘Transforming Cities and Towns for the Twenty-first Century’, where the speaker list of eminent architects included João Rodrigues, Agnieszka Kalinowska-Sołtys, Neil Pennell, Robert Schmitz, Alicja Kuczera, Mirosław Czarnik, Jacek Ewý, Ewa Kuryłowicz, Tomasz Konior and Bogdan Zaha from Zaha Hadid Architects, delegates were treated to a vision of what our cities of the future could be like.
Aluprof UK attended the conference and awards ceremony with a small team led by Managing Director Wojciech Brozyna, National Specification Manager, Jordan Kingman, London Projects Consultant, Jon Manning and Marketing Manager Omer Kanipak. Accompanying the Aluprof UK team were Michael Burns and Ronan Watts from Todd Architects, who collected their award on the evening, along with guests from Bryden Wood, AWW Architects and Landsec.
With Head Offices in Altrincham in the North West and with architectural specification support office in the Business Design Centre in London, the company has rapidly grown their specification influence in the UK with their high-performance architectural aluminium systems. Further expansion of the company’s headquarters in Altrincham now provides specifiers with meeting facilities and an extensive showroom of commercial systems to view.
Further information is available on the company’s website at aluprof.co.uk or direct from their UK head office in Altrincham on 0161 941 4005.