The Gateway to Striking Design with Shackerley

Stem Architects have used almost 2600m² of Shackerley’s SureClad® ceramic granite ventilated cladding to great effect at The Gateway, an innovative £28 million student accommodation development in Lincoln.

At eight storeys in height and almost 90m in length at its widest overhang, The Gateway’s innovative tiered, curved frontage presented numerous challenges to all those involved in the design, prefabrication and installation of the façade cladding.

‘From the outset The Gateway was destined to be a technically challenging and visually exciting building,’ said Stem Architects’ Vaughan Owen. ‘Shackerley was among only a handful of suppliers with the confidence and the appropriate level of technical expertise to take on the challenge of the curved, overhanging façade. The quality and robustness of the SureClad® ceramic granite cladding system stood out significantly against the competition.’

Providing a home from home for over 500 of Lincoln University’s students, The Gateway is situated close to the city centre and features a lively mix of accommodation, café, retail and office space. ‘The prominent location demanded a distinctive, high-impact elevation, and the contrasting cream and matte charcoal coloured ceramic granite façade panels delivers the desired results,’ continues Vaughan. ‘We also considered the potential for airborne pollution. Being impermeable, the fully vitrified ceramic granite was an ideal cladding finish to minimise the need for ongoing maintenance.’

Dominik Jackson, Founding Partner of Jackson & Jackson Developers, who were responsible for The Gateway development, concludes: ‘Thanks to its eye-catching finish this statement building has confidently taken its place on Lincoln’s skyline, and we are proud to offer students an outstanding quality of accommodation in a building of real architectural value. The Gateway is set to provide a comfortable and inspiring home for many generations of students to come.’

The Gateway won the Best Large Commercial Building category at the LABC East Midlands Building Excellence Awards 2016.