The iconic PrintWorks venue in Manchester is undergoing a £20m refurbishment to its aesthetics and facilities, with the aim of positioning it as a pioneering round-the-clock entertainment destination.
With the four-storey, 365,000sq ft building open 24 hours a day, the diversity of activity- from spinning classes through gaming to eating & drinking- mean the building services need to perform constantly, to the highest standard.
Hence, specialist mechanical building services contractor James Mercer Group chose Gilberts for support.
Now, PrintWorks’ rooftop features a Gilberts Blackpool PHH75/IS bespoke-designed and engineered louvred penthouse measuring 4.2m x 2.6m to ensure adequate supply and exhaust of air into and out of the plant room below. For maintenance access, two louvred doors have been incorporated into the framework.
The Gilberts penthouse focuses around 75mm pitch external weatherproof louvres behind which sits an insulated air volume control damper which regulates both the movement and volume of air from the outside to the inside and vice versa. Class A weather rated, it provides smooth, accurate and stable natural ventilation. Finished in anthracite grey powder coating, the unit blends into the surrounding cityscape.
The penthouse demonstrates Gilberts’ in-house project management capability, especially in a fast-track scenario. From initial discussions around the objective, Gilberts devised the concept, developed the design through all stages, manufactured and installed.
The sheer scale of the penthouse meant it had to be craned in sections from street level whilst minimising disruption to the busy city centre. Gilberts managed the whole process in close liaison with James Mercer Group, completing the unit by building it up in sections once in place on the roof.
Gilberts is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of louvres for plant ventilation and screening, developed over the years to provide a comprehensive package to keep pace with the evolution of building design and structural interfaces, initially and as/if the building structure is altered. Options include standard and high performance, factory- and site- assembled, and acoustic variants.
Founded over half a century ago, and still family-owned, Gilberts is the UK’s leading independent air movement engineer. It is unique in its ability to design, manufacture and test all products- including bespoke fabrications- in-house, to the extent it even designs and manufactures its own tools at its 140,000 sq ft head office and production facility.