A Triple Black Diamond For Ashwall Technology

Chill Factore, Alpine Village, which has the UK's longest and the world’s widest real snow indoor ski slope is set to open its doors to the public this November. Located five miles from the heart of Manchester, Chill Factore, with its 180m long main slope standing 44m above the ground and its learner and main slopes stretching 100m, incorporates the technology of an Ash & Lacy Building Systems' Ashwall into the iconic construction. The structure, which occupies a 4.3 hectare site next to the Trafford Centre, houses not only the three slopes, but an alpine village street lined with lifestyle retail outlets, après-ski inspired bars and restaurants offering anything from crêpes, Glühwein, hot chocolate and steak ‘n frites; a climbing wall, a cresta-inspired luge run and an enchanting children’s winter wonderland. As the first of its kind in the UK, owned and operated by Extreme Cool Ltd, Chill Factore is billed as the destination for everyone, from beginners to champions, spectators, families and weekend socialisers.

The building, which is inspired by a shard of ice on the hillside, has to withstand the weight of real snow up to a depth of 400mm, along with all the extra amenities on offer, thus requiring the highest quality construction materials and equipment available. With horizontal cladding panels completing a proportion of the exterior, a proven, high quality fixing system, specifically designed to withstand the significant wind suction loads which are particularly prevalent on elevated sites was a necessity. It was therefore no surprise that Ash & Lacy's Ashwall system was recognised as the ideal solution to meet the technical performance demanded for this landmark structure.

After a detailed technical analysis, Lakesmere, appointed by main contractors Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, selected Ash & Lacy to provide this support system, based upon previous experiences of Ash & Lacy’s proven expertise on roofing & cladding systems. Systems that provide the installer with key benefits such as ease and speed of installation with reliability and quality that are key to such a high profile project. The design support behind Ashwall provides critical structural advice based on wind and suction loadings for a building. Ashwall vertical steel framework transfers loads evenly across an elevation, important with horizontally laid cladding applications.

Commenting on the specification of Ashwall for Chill Factore, Simon Grove, Sales & Marketing Director for Ash & Lacy said, “We are delighted that Ash & Lacy has been chosen as one of the suppliers for this exciting building, I believe that our technical competence and the product performance ensured that we were specified. It is particularly pleasing to note that our ongoing research and product development programme means that we remain at the forefront of building systems technology."

An example of the ongoing development of the Ash & Lacy product ranges is demonstrated by the recent announcement of the availability of the Ashwall BX48 wall cladding system. A development of the product used so successfully on Chill Factore, Ashwall BX48 has been engineered to be stronger, use less materials and be even quicker to install as a one man operation thus delivering cost and efficiency savings.

Chill Factore will be fully commissioned on 9th November this year, when the Alpine village will be welcoming its first visitors.

Telephone : 0121 525 1444
Fax : 0121 525 3444
E-mail : sales@ashandlacy.com