New Colin Forbes Building provides climate-controlled storage for Sedgwick Museum's vast fossil and rock collection at the University of Cambridge
Cupa Pizarras Cupaclad 101 Random rainscreen cladding has been specified for the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, part at the University of Cambridge.
The museum's extensive collection of fossils, minerals and rocks was previously stored in different locations. A new extension, The Colin Forbes Building, was designed by Cowper Giffith Architects to bring the collection together in one climate-controlled location. It adjoins the AG Brighton Building, the Sedgwick Museum's conservation unit and archive.
The design of the new building is a deliberate mix of brickwork and slate cladding designed to limit the number of glazed openings in the facade in order to regulate the indoor environment.
Cupaclad 101 Random slate cladding has varying width courses that give the impression of stratified rock and allude to the geological nature of the work conducted inside. The grey colouring is in appealing contrast to the brickwork.
Cupaclad 101 Random consists of slates in sizes 50×15cm, 50×20cm and 50×25cm installed in horizontal courses to create a varied and dynamic finish. The system is installed using specially selected stainless steel screws that are concealed behind the row of slates above to be invisible once installed.