Members of the UK Green
CHAS Copyright 2003
Castle Shopping Centre
Radical changes for Castle Shopping Centre, Banbury
During the refurbishment of the Castle Shopping Centre in Banbury,
there was a need to radically change the aesthetics of the main mall by
reducing the ceiling height and at the same time lightening the
environment. As a result the decision was taken to use Levolux aerofoil
fins to create a dynamic false ceiling.
Usually employed for external sunshading, the standard 300mm Levolux aerofoil fins have an end plate that was profile cut to create two ‘ears’ that project out from the fin and slot into a ‘C’ channel that runs the length of the mall. The fins are polyester powder coated in white and are each some 3m long, enabling them to span the entire width of the mall.
an effective lightable surface
The aerofoil fins both mask a ‘very dowdy’ roof space and, by shining pencil beam lights along their base, give an effective lightable surface in areas not served by natural light.
The refurbishment is part of a larger project which encompasses an extension known as Castle. Jim Harris, centre director of Castle, comments: “The Levolux fins have helped give the refurbished part of the scheme a freshness and a far better atmosphere while advancing the centre’s design by thirty years. In eight months we’ve only had the fins down once for cleaning and they are not attracting dust. We had a problem to solve and they have been the ideal solution.”
the people at Levolux understood exactly what we were trying to achieve
Geoff Wilson, contracts manager Moss Construction, concludes: “The fins were good quality and the people at Levolux understood exactly what we were trying to achieve.”
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| Architect: | Purcell Miller Tritton Architects |
| Products used: | Aluminium Fins |