Decorative architectural casings are a common feature in contemporary building design as they provide a versatile, effective and stylish method of concealing structural steelwork and concrete support columns.
The combination of practicality, versatility and aesthetics are at the core of the Verta column casing range from Encasement Ltd, which have been installed on projects within most sectors, including retail, education and healthcare, as well as hotel, sport & leisure and commercial refurbishment.
Key to this versatility is the range of materials and finishes available to specifiers, as well as the option of selecting products from the available standard shapes and sizes or creating bespoke manufactured designs for specific projects.
As a result, Encasement casings have been specified and installed by many well-known brands, which includes Porsche; Premier Inn, TATA; Kia Motors; Halfords and Tesco together with a wide range of retail outlets, hospitals, universities, leisure projects and office buildings across the UK.
The Verta range incorporates six separate products, including Circa pre-formed MDF and plywood Quadra casings, together with the Forma metal range. Alongside these, the Polyma GRP and Gypra GRG casings are moulded from glass reinforced polymer and glass reinforced gypsum, respectively, while the Metza range, provides up to 2 hours fire protection for mezzanine floor support columns.
Circa and Quadra casings are manufactured from pre-formed MDF and plywood respectively, using UKTR compliant and sustainably sourced timbers, they are designed purely for interior use. Within each range, circular and square profiles can be specified in a wide range of sizes, as well as extended circles and rectangular profiles that use additional pre-sized infill panels to give greater design versatility.
Like other column casings in the range, a wide choice of finish options is available, with decorative high-pressure laminate (HPL) being the most popular for both Circa and Quadra. In addition to resisting damage, scuffs and scratches, HPL offers an extensive range of finishes, including plain colours, wood grains and metallics, as well as textured and real wood veneers. Circa is also available as an unfinished plain casing for on-site painting and decoration.
Among the many Circa and Quadra installations, are Liverpool University, Rossendale Health Centre, Gateshead International Stadium and Blackburn Markets, as well as Worksop Bus Terminal, Farnborough College 6th Form Centre and the Dame Kelly Holmes Sports Centre.
Whilst all Encasement’s column casings are suitable for interior applications, Polyma and Forma can also be used on exterior projects, due to their inherent weather resistance and durability. Manufactured from aluminium or stainless steel, Forma casings can be specified as circles, with diameters from 250mm up to 1000mm, as well as square, rectangular and hexagonal forms, or bespoke profiles. The choice of finishes is also extensive with British Standard and RAL colour PPC options available, alongside brushed, anodised, embossed and textured surfaces.
Durability and colour choice are also features of Polyma GRP casings. As they are produced from moulds, this manufacturing method allows a high degree of design versatility with shape; size and colour options all open to specification to meet bespoke project requirements.
Projects, such as Lime Wood Primary School in Erith, Kent and The Carmine Building in London, together with Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre and Premier Inn, demonstrate the versatility of Forma and Polyma bespoke column casings in both exterior and interior applications.