Belfast Waterfront

Brett Martin Clicks Coloured Façade into Place at Belfast Waterfront

For what is one of Belfast’s most important civic buildings, the transformation of the Belfast Waterfront has seen the creation of a stunning new £29.5 million extension which has doubled the size of the existing facility and features a semi-transparent and colourful façade to form a dynamic frontage to the waterfront.

The new 7000m² extension to Belfast Waterfront features two interconnecting multipurpose halls and has been designed by TODD Architects and built by McLaughlin and Harvey in collaboration with McAdams Design. In an attempt to regenerate the river frontage and re-establish the buildings connection with the Lagan river, a key design consideration for the public facing façades was the incorporation of high quality materials used to create a building of high architectural quality. Brett Martin’s innovative and thermally efficient glazing system Marlon Clickfix1040 played a vital role in achieving this aim whilst at the same helping the extension establish its own identity.

The building’s 150m long riverfront façade was wrapped with over 1750m² of multiwall polycarbonate with many panels approximately 14m in length. For a glazing system which would not only maximise daylight but also offer exceptional air tightness, durability and UV stability, Marlon Clickfix1040 from Brett Martin proved the most adaptable solution and ensured a fast and straightforward installation for roofing and cladding contractor, Thornton Roofing.

Another key consideration for this project was the colour of the glazing panels, with Brett Martin creating a palette of seven colour samples in a range of tint variations. These were installed at a high level on-site to allow the design team to decide on three completely new colours – petrol, viola and glass green - which were each extruded in two different intensities, creating a graduated flow of colour along the elevation.

“The use of Marlon Clickfix1040 polycarbonate glazing panels enabled us to create a stunning variation in colour and transparency, so that the façade almost changes during the day, depending on how the light hits the building,” said Peter Minnis, Director at TODD Architects. “Combine this with the fact that Marlon Clickfix1040 offered us a full height 14 metre panel and is manufactured locally, this made it an ideal choice for the prominent riverfront façade.”

Offering high levels of light transmission, the polycarbonate panels provide a naturally diffused daylight.

Central to the Marlon Clickfix1040 system is the lightweight polycarbonate panel with integral interlocking connections that simply click into place forming glazed areas of unlimited size and shape. The 40mm structured polycarbonate glazing panel has 10 insulating walls to achieve a U-value of 0.99 W/m²K, for a high performing and thermally efficient glazing solution. Supplied with a full range of aluminium profiles and accessories Marlon Clickfix1040’s simple installation is quick and efficient with no need for vertical profiles, reducing both material costs and installation time. It can be used for roofs, canopies, façades, partitioning and rain screens.

Marlon Clickfix1040 provides high-quality natural light, superior thermal insulation and UV protection. In addition to the impact resistance, resilience and structural strength that is inherent in all of Brett Martin’s high performance polycarbonate sheet products, it is also lightweight and easy to handle.