Pilkington Planar™ has been specified in a centre of excellence for dance in Leeds.  The new home for Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre is situated on Quarry Hill next to the BBC and the Leeds College of Music.

The pièce de résistance of the building is a grand entrance area which showcases Pilkington Planar™ as the focal point of the six-storey building. There are also two glass box balconies on the side of the building which offer stunning views of the surrounding area.

Howard Sykes, HW Architectural Ltd, said, “Northern Ballet’s new building is a creative and cultured environment so we needed to specify an architectural glazing solution that reflected the beauty and creativity of the work taking place inside. With Pilkington Planar™ we could be imaginative and design a whole façade that is eye-catching and contemporary.”

The Pilkington Planar™ system allows architects to apply bold designs whilst affording them unrivalled stability and safety. It is qualities such as these which ensure that Pilkington Planar™ remains world market leader in the cutting edge market of bolted glass systems. The Pilkington Planar™ structural glazing system provides a flush glass surface by utilising stainless steel fittings housed in countersunk holes to fix the glass façade back to the structure instead of using the more conventional framed systems. The result is a fully engineered system with the minimum amount of support structure and the maximum possible visual clarity. A silicone seal between adjacent panels provides weatherproofing.

Consisting of seven dance studios including a 200-seat studio theatre, office space, a health suite and a costume workshop; the dance centre provides professional dancers and young students with a stunning setting to develop their skills. Alongside the two professional companies the building will eventually house a full-time classical dance school as well as Leeds Metropolitan University's dance degree courses.  The new building has received wide support from across the region with Leeds City Council investing £6.7million, including a contribution from Yorkshire Forward, and Arts Council England, Yorkshire, investing £3.5million through the National Lottery.

Pilkington Planar™ specifications

Grand entrance

12 mm toughened and heat soak tested Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear THS on the exterior
6 mm toughened and heat soak tested Pilkington K Glass™ THS on the interior
Supported by 19 mm toughened and heat soak treated glass fins that are 750 mm deep. 

Glass balconies

Thick toughened and heat soak treated Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear THS with acid etch effect screen printing
1.52 mm thick polyvinyl butyral interlayer
6 mm heat strengthened Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear HN inner pane

For more information visit www.pilkington.co.uk/planar