Dalton Park
A fantastic makeover
When the largest factory outlet shopping centre in the North East of England was given a makeover, Pura® NFC by Trespa secured a prominent role in providing the 70-plus retail premises with a fresh, modern appeal to customers.
The £3million refurbishment, that included paving, lighting, landscaping and furniture in addition to shop front treatment, was given the go-ahead in 2017. And, says centre manager Jerry Hatch, ‘the overall impact and impression made by Pura® NFC siding was the stand out part of the finished article.”
“Pura® NFC siding was the stand out part of the finished article”
Jerry Hatch, Dalton Park Outlet Shopping Centre Manager.
A key requirement of the re-cladding was that the centre should remain open for business throughout the refurbishment process.
Located on the site of a former colliery spoil heap, Dalton Park is an outlet shopping centre, originally opened in 2003. It boasts 70 retail shops, including several restaurants, three anchor stores – Adidas, M&S and Next - and public conveniences. Each of these elements required new cladding, but different styles and finishes were chosen. Original cedar wood panelling on the retail shop frontages was replaced by plank-style cladding from the palette of Pura® NFC Wood Decors. The colour selected was Core Ash. The fascias above the three major stores were clad in 10mm Meteon® Lumen, coloured Athens White with Diffused, Specular and Oblique finishes, whilst Meteon® Lumen in London Grey was chosen for the exterior of the toilet blocks in the same finishes as the major stores.
“Pura® NFC was selected due to its durability, colour maintenance properties and contemporary styling that were an excellent fit with the overall objective of the project,” says Jerry Hatch. “The fact this product can be easily cleaned and requires minimal maintenance are also endearing features.”
Lead designers for the Dalton Park transformation, London-based architectural practice RAWLS were in no doubt that Pura® NFC was the right product for the job.
Says senior designer SinChi Wu: “Pura® NFC was selected for a number of reasons. Durability and quality of product being a primary reason; range of colours and finishes were also an incentive.
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He says other cladding options were considered but Pura® NFC Exterior Siding won through. “Despite not necessarily being the cheapest, the product’s quality and matt finish were ultimately the deciding factors. For retail destinations such as Dalton Park Outlet it is necessary to provide the shopping centre with a finish that is easy to maintain and will look as good in five year’s time as it did on day one.” Trespa’s matt finishes are unique and give surfaces a more natural wood appearance when viewed from any angle.
“A finish that is easy to maintain and will look as good in five year’s time as it did on day one.”
SinChi Wu, Senior Designer, RAWLS Architects
The ease of handling the product also impressed the installer, Durham-based Alderclad, who was working with Pura® NFC for the first time. “In terms of installation, this product was a dream to work with, it is easily formed on site with the basics of a chop saw and a tape measure,” says the company’s managing director Anthony Nevison.
“This product was a dream to work with”
Anthony Nevison, Managing Director, Alderclad.
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The re-cladding took place outside normal retail hours over a 12-week period so the shopping centre could continue to function.
Notwithstanding the temporary disruptions caused by Covid-19, Dalton Park’s refurbishment and upgrade has had positive all-round results with an increase in customer footfall and retail brands including The Cosmetics Company Store, Lindt and Molton Brown being amongst new brands secured. And the cladding has delighted the centre management. “The ongoing performance and maintenance of the Pura® NFC Exterior Siding has been as we had hoped it would be from the outset,” says Jerry Hatch.
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