award winning architects

066-Sainsburys-Exeter_thumb

Sainsbury's Exeter

Client:
Sainsbury's
Location:
Alphington Road, Exeter
Contact:
Robert Sargent 0117 974 3271 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The store has been extended to the west by the addition of a two storey construction adjacent to the entrance ‘rotunda’, with single storey construction behind. This provides additional sales area, bulk stock and a new first floor Café with customer facilities. The Café benefits from glazed curtain walling on two sides, making the space light and welcoming. The natural light can now penetrate to the sales floor, and customers are afforded views up into the Café via a glazed balcony and double height void.

The extension has increased the store sales area from approximately 41K up to 55K.

The finned glazed canopy and brise soleil at high level was recreated on the extension, to match in with the existing, as was the brickwork façade. The main construction is steel frame clad in Eurobond Rockspan insulated cladding panels. This meant secondary steel sheeting rails were not required, with the cladding panels fixed directly to the columns, and gives a finished internal face to the store.

The advantage of this construction meant the brickwork could be taken off the construction critical path, and we could build a weather proof ‘box’ quickly and economically with the brickwork added later (Ancon channels and ties used to restrain brick skin). The reconstituted stone banding course at low level was replicated from the original drawings. The high level ‘stone’ banding courses were formed from profiled steel and also act as flashings for the brickwork outer skin and curtain walling.

The project started on site in April 2010, with ISG Pearce as the main contractor. There was major infrastructure works to the existing railway embankment (removed) and the formation of a new embankment, roundabout and link road through to the busy Marsh Lane trading estate, before the store extension could be commenced.