Façade Focus on The Forum, Gloucester
Our 11th Façade Focus event on October 8th took us on a journey around The Forum, Gloucester which is an impressive mixed-use development acting as a gateway to the city.
Matt Borland of Whittam Cox Architects and Anri Doda of PRA shared the architectural vision behind the project, drawing inspiration from Gloucester’s rich Roman heritage, its historic Cathedral and the development’s prominent position as a gateway to the city centre.
The presentation offered a fascinating insight into the technically complex façade design, demonstrating how architectural quality, environmental performance, buildability, and cost efficiency were carefully balanced.
We took a closer look at the building envelope, which combines prefabricated unitised façade panels, aluminium cladding, and insulated spandrels. Particular highlights include the radial-patterned, laser-cut aluminium panels, designed with high open areas to maximise daylight, and vertical fins providing solar shading and glare reduction. Cleverly integrated LED lighting also remains discreet during the day before transforming the façade after dark.
Our Façade Focus events are all about exploring real-world façade challenges, sharing project knowledge and, of course, enjoying some valuable face-to-face time with industry colleagues. A big thank you to Matt and Anri for sharing their expertise, to the team at theMapei World Specification Centre London for hosting us and to everyone who joined us for another engaging session!
If you are interested in joining our future Façade Focus events, please emailsarah.andrews@patrickryanassociates.com
