Maple's linear climate façade for new Northamptonshire Police HQ

  • Northamptionshire Police HQ long shot of building-min
  • Northamptionshire Police HQ close up of aluminium blades-min
  • Northamptionshire Police HQ close up of blades-min

Tolerances of less than 2mm required for brise soleil system at new police HQ

Maple have installed a linear climate façade to a three-storey office block for Northamptonshire Police – and a brise soleil system for a new custody block. 

The project was part of the force’s work to replace old and outdated buildings with a new facility between Kettering and Corby. 

Similar buildings have, in the past, been featureless and utilitarian. However, architects Pick Everard created a design that was attractive and modern. 

An integral part of their design came from specifying solar shading and climate façades that combined function with aesthetic appeal. So, the architects worked closely with Maple and main contractors Bowmer & Kirkland – on site and at our factory – to ensure the very best results. 

For example, while the whole project required us to achieve tolerances of less than 2mm, the installation of our modular Strata Aurora brise soleil system on the new 20-cell custody block presented particular challenges. 

Strata Aurora is ideal for longer, continuous spans of louvres blades - but we still had to manufacture pre-fabricated welded corners, which were installed to an inclined steel column on one side and returned onto a vertical column to create a compound corner with three fixed vertical fixing points. 

Using our Strata Aurora blades to create this climate façade meant the final project was visually stunning and highly effective in protecting building occupants from heat and solar glare. 

“The complete system has been designed and installed to provide a seamless brise soleil system that forms cleans lines across the whole elevation.”  Jay McGrath, Projects Director, Maple.