James and Taylor win contracts to put a new face on student living accommodation in Scotland
(03/02/2010)

Façade design experts James & Taylor have won two major contracts to put a new face on student living accommodation in key Scottish cities.

The company will supply Alphaton terracotta facades for iQ Property Partnership in a new development at Edinburgh University and another for Opal Property Group at the University of Abertay, Dundee. Both projects are worth a total of £38m.

Architects Fletcher Joseph commissioned James & Taylor to supply 2,600m2 Beige Alphaton tiles for the Fountain North development at Dundee Street, Edinburgh. The new building will be home to 315 students in one, four and five bedroom flats and individual studio apartments.

James & Taylor will supply over 1,000m2 Naturrot and Beige Alphaton tiles to the Abertay building on Parker Street in the centre of Dundee. It will accommodate nearly 500 students in five and seven bed self -catering cluster units and studios. Both developments are due to open in September this year.

Colin Henderson, Scottish project manager for James & Taylor said: “Both projects needed a well-designed and tough solution. The Alphaton Terracotta Rainscreen system is ideal. It’s widely regarded as the best of its type, offering a robust design at reasonable cost. We find that architects very rarely look beyond this system due to a number of unique design features. These include secret fixings with a simple tile replacement method and a horizontal fixing rail that allows for true alignment and prevents the tiles from being displaced over time. The duo skin tiles can be cut in increments of 1mm to fit the building, and are available in a comprehensive range of colours and finishes.”

Beatrice Bryant of Hurd Rolland said: “We have specified the Alphaton system for several prestigious projects in recent years, including three at the Kings Building Campus for Edinburgh University. We have been extremely pleased with its aesthetic appearance, robustness and reliability.”

Ann Cumber of Fletcher Joseph said: “ We considered a number of cladding materials and the Alphaton product was by far the most durable and suitable for this project. “