The retail mix – combining design with practicality
The purchasing environment is a key aspect of the retail experience and the importance of combining practicality with aesthetics is essential. Decorative column casings and building linings are key components in this process, as they provide practical solutions for concealing interior and exterior structural steelwork, while adding to a building’s aesthetics.
Used on both new-build and refurbishment schemes, Encasement’s Verta column casings and Vecta building linings ranges offer a wide choice of materials and finish options for exterior or interior applications and are installed in a diverse range of retail projects for well-known brands, including Tesco, Porsche, ASDA, Kia Motors, Next and Greggs.
Verta column casings and applications
Circa and Quadra casings are manufactured from pre-formed MDF and plywood respectively, while the Forma range is fabricated from metal. Alongside these, are Polyma GRP (glass reinforced polymer) and Gypra glass reinforced gypsum (GRG) options, as well as Metza casings, which are a specialised solution designed to provide fire protection for mezzanine floor supporting columns.
Where casings are needed for interior use only, Circa and Quadra allow circular, square and rectangular profiles to be specified. They also provide a wide range of finish options with the most popular being decorative laminates, as they are resistant to scuffs and scratches, and can be specified in plain colours, wood grain and metallics, as well as textured finishes.
While every Encasement column casing type is suitable for interior use, both the Forma and Polyma ranges are also widely used for exterior retail projects, such as store fronts, canopy supports or as a feature on retail park units, due to their durability and inherent weather resistance.
Available in aluminium or stainless steel, Forma casings can be specified in circular square, rectangular or hexagonal forms, as well as bespoke shapes. A wide choice of finishes is available including PPC options in any RAL colour, as well as brushed, anodised, embossed or textured finishes, such as Rimex.
Strength, durability and colour choice are also features of the Polyma GRP range, which can be key considerations in retail environments. As Polyma GRP casings are produced using moulds, this manufacturing process allows a high degree of design flexibility with shape; size and colour options all open to specification to meet bespoke project requirements, as well as standard profile options.
Vecta building linings
Alongside Encasement’s column casings, the Vecta building lining range provides high-quality solutions for interior wall linings, bulkheads, fascias, soffits and reveals which are already installed on a range of projects including major brands, such as Tesco, Prêt a Manger, Mini and Greggs.
Depending on the application, the Vecta range can be specified in a choice of materials and finishes. High-level bulkheads, such as 100-metre long solution at Tesco in Yardley, Birmingham, use PPC aluminium, although they can also be manufactured from stainless steel, as well as GRP or GRG, which can help save weight, although consideration should be given to the materials’ suitability for each application.
By offering the Vecta column casing range and the Vecta building linings system, retail construction specifiers can source a range of specialised products from a single company.
