Overview

The RIBA National Award winning Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester underwent a £15 million redevelopment and opened its doors again in 2015.

C W Fields & Son were the proud suppliers of bespoke quarter cut European oak veneered wall panelling with integrated doorsets, bespoke joinery and some of the largest veneered cladding panels we have seen specified on the market.

The Solution

Our full remit included a range of bespoke primed doorsets (for back of house and service areas) and quarter cut European oak wall panelling with integrated doorsets to the lower ground and mezzanine levels.

Attendance of site design meetings, was paramount in enabling the architect’s designs to become reality. Our team we’re able to steer the project in the right direction, resolving design queries and issues and closing out RFI’s.

It was also important our site team were able to conduct on-site surveys to ensure our CAD technicians had all relevant information to enable accurate production drawings and information to be produced for signoff.

The wall panelling was a particular challenge ensuring consistency of finish throughout complete banks of panels. With panel runs of up to 7-8 metres in height and 20 metres in length, coupled with the need to fit panels around stair treads and risers, matching veneer grain, tone and texture was a specialist undertaking.

All wall panelling was supplied finished with clear class 0 lacquer ensuring compliance with BS 476-7 - fire tests on building materials and structures.

We were awarded the job based on expertise with bespoke panelling system and this project represented some of challenging runs of veneered panels we ever manufactured. The results speak for themselves.