When frozen fruit and vegetable specialist Ardo UK needed a new cold store facility to cope with growing demand, the company looked no further than high-care construction specialist Chalcroft.
After successfully completing a £6.7m cold store and packing hall for Ardo in 2009 over a 44-week period, Chalcroft was called upon in late 2013 to partner the Kent-based business on the design and build of a new extension to the facility.
Bordered by the Kent Downs, an area of outstanding natural beauty, as well as residential communities, Ardo was keen to minimise the impact of a new building. With the guidance of the local council, Chalcroft incorporated exterior cladding in two shades to help mask the structure – pale ‘goosewing grey’ to blend in with cloudy British skies when viewed from below, and a darker grey to merge with surrounding trees when seen from the hills above.
With the original premises built in 2000 and the first extension in 2009, providing both interior and exterior continuity between each phase of construction was a priority for Ardo and Chalcroft. Inside, the building fabric has been carefully sealed to ensure a consistent temperature of -22°C can be achieved. Chalcroft also incorporated a protective firewall between the new and existing phases, meaning the business could remain operational as any fire could be contained without spreading to adjacent phases while outside, the cladding was extended to provide a seamless finish.
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