Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, RSPCA Animal Centre

Project Overview

Background

Established more than 60 years ago, the RSPCA Radcliffe Animal Centre Trust is an independent charity that supports the work of the RSPCA. It exists to promote education about animal welfare, to care for sick animals, and to support the re-homing of pets. It is the only RSPCA animal centre in Nottinghamshire.

At its site in the village of Radcliffe-on-Trent, the Trust runs a purpose-built veterinary centre, an adoption lounge, a shop and accommodation for a variety of animals. Its most recent addition to the complex was a £1.1 million new-build education centre, designed to cater for visits by schools, colleges, community groups and corporate volunteers. Featuring a modular layout, it could also double as an event venue that could be hired out as a means of generating revenue.

Brief

The building’s design included a requirement for an external render finish that, in addition to being decorative, would provide effective protection against water ingress and the worst effects of the weather. It would be applied over sheathing board and, in some cases, bedding mortar. Permarock was asked to develop an appropriate specification.

Design and Specification:

Permarock’s proposed specification comprised:

Other products featuring in the specification included, amongst others, Permarock Bedding Mortar, reinforcement mesh, edge protection strips and joint-sealing tapes.

Permarock K + R Primer is based on an acrylic resin that exhibits excellent bonding to a variety of interior and exterior mineral substrates, and which promotes good adhesion by cement-free plasters and renders. It reduces suction and also helps to reduce the risks of efflorescence. It can be tinted to match the colour of the finishing coat.

Permarock SiliconeUltra K Finish is a lightweight textured render that produces an attractive, weather-protective finish. It is available in a wide range of colours and has been used in systems with design lives of more than 60 years. It is flexible and vapour-permeable, and thanks to a hybrid binder system of organically crosslinked nano-quartz particles and silicone emulsion, it very effectively resists the accumulation of dirt.

Moreover, it also contains a preservative that inhibits the growth of algae and mould, and therefore tends to stay looking clean and attractive for longer than conventional alternatives.

Planning and Project Delivery:

Permarock technical staff assisted the project team during the design stage and during the installation. This included providing advice and support for the system installer, ALD Group. They also supplied project visualisations, drawings, and material and colour samples.

Result:

The installation was completed as planned, the modular design ensuring that the whole project was delivered quickly and without undue disruption to the animals.

The new education centre opened in the summer of 2019.

Speaking at the time of the launch, centre manager Ella Carpenter said: “This new building is long-awaited and very much needed. We’re so grateful to all our supporters and donors who have made it possible. It will mean more people can come and visit us and hopefully give more animals their forever home… It’s very exciting for all concerned, and a big boost for our staff and volunteers, but the biggest advantage is definitely for our animals.”

Chris Turner, commercial director of Integra Buildings, said: “The RSPCA Radcliffe team now has a flagship facility of which they can be very proud, and an attractive and welcoming place for people to visit, including animal lovers looking to offer a pet a new home.”

Project
Education / Community Buildings
Client
RSPCA Radcliffe Animal Centre Trust
Specifier
Williams Architects
Substrate
Sheathing Boards
System
Permarend Exterior Render System
Finish
Permarock SiliconeUltra K Finish