Eltherington rainscreen specified on £35M Manchester project - The Lightbox in Media City.

AHR architects specified 5,000m² of bespoke aluminium cladding panels for construction of Lightbox, a luxury residential apartment scheme within MediaCityUK.

The £35 million project will comprise of 238 studios, one, two and three-bed apartments over 19 storeys. Residents will enjoy panoramic views over Salford Quays, Coronation Street and the Manchester skyline.

Eltherington will be designing and manufacturing the bespoke panels at its advanced manufacturing facility in Hull

Eltherington provided the designers at Lightbox with an integrated solution by offering the cladding panels with its Hilti-Eurofox sub-frame system. The Eurofox system can be quickly and easily fixed to concrete, timber and steel structures, whilst anchors allow fastening of insulation and creation of the rear ventilated cavity.

The Eltherington rainscreen façade system for Lightbox and Hilti fixings have been successfully tested in line with CWCT Standards. These tests include Air permeability, Water Penetration, Wind Resistance (Serviceability & Safety) and Impact.

Antony Eltherington, added: “Whilst façade performance can be calculated to a certain extent, it is no substitute for an actual physical CWCT test because it replicates the most extreme conditions that buildings can be subjected to.”