Hunter Douglas showcases innovation at world class CEMAST development

A multi-million pound regeneration project in Hampshire is seeing the Daedalus airfield in Lee-on-the-Solent transformed to a world class business hub.

One of the key parts of the project has been the completion of CEMAST Fareham - Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Advanced Skills – for Fareham College.

This ground-breaking training centre for automotive, engineering and manufacturing courses has been created in partnership with the likes of BAE Systems, GE Aviation, Virgin Atlantic, Coopervision, Burgess Marine and Jensen Motorsport. The state-of-the-art centre has been designed by architects Perkins Ogden as a world class facility and it is fitting that it features innovative architectural solutions from Hunter Douglas.

CEMAST has incorporated 670 m2 of the Hunter Douglas solid wood linear open ceiling system in fire treated Siberian Larch. This has been installed by contractor Broadsword Projects in three different widths - 70mm, 92mm and 114mm.

 A further 455 m2 solid wood linear open system in Siberian Larch, fully treated for external application, was also installed under the striking canopy that welcomes visitors to CEMAST.

“The same basic system was used both internally and externally, with solid wood Siberian Larch,” explained Paul Harris of Broadsword Projects. “The external timber was fully sealed and installed with rigid suspension to cope with the potential wind load.”

The internal timber was fire treated to achieve Class '0' and was installed on a standard 111mm carrier but with three different widths of panel giving the appearance of a random pattern.

CEMAST provides a teaching facility that includes workshops for motor vehicles, marine, aeronautical and mechanical and electrical engineering as well as a learning resources centre and staff administration block.

"The CEMAST project is the first project on the South’s only Enterprise Zone, and involved the Homes and Communities Agency as the landowner, Gosport and Fareham Borough Councils as planning and local authorities, Hampshire County Council as the procurers of the infrastructure as well as the Daedalus Airfield management and their tenants," explains Carl Oxby, Design Manager with main contractor Bouygues/Leadbitter.

For almost 50 years, Hunter Douglas products have contributed to the sustainable thermal, acoustic and visual appeal of buildings across a wide range of branches and sectors, from trade to industry and from the catering business to government. These products consistently meet the needs of architects, designers and contractors, thanks to Hunter Douglas’ intensive collaboration with these parties.

Minimising environmental impact and waste flows is a vital part of the development, production, distribution, servicing and reuse of each product.

Hunter Douglas works closely with architects, designers and builders from specification to installation and has a track record of bringing breakthrough products to market.