Q. Stone or powder coating? A. The curved building, underneath the 'John Lewis' and 'Westfields' signs is stone. The facades of the buildings to the left are coated in 'Ballycastlestone' powder coating.
After five years we revisit Powdertech 'Ballycastle Stone' on the facade of Westfield Shopping Centre, White City. Looking as smart as the day the panelling was installed.
Project Overview
In 2018 a client sent us a sample of Jura limestone and asked us to try and match it with a powder coating. We tested different powders and application effects and compared them against the limestone which has natural veins of quartz and fossils appearing against a beige background. Within four weeks ‘Ballycastle Stone’ was the result and the client was delighted with its close match since both natural Jura limestone and our powder coating would be present on a large extension to buildings at the Westfield Shopping Centre, White City, London. We applied Ballycastle stone to 4500sq m of aluminium panels which were installed with an uneven leg tray to produce a saw-tooth effect.
In February 2023 we revisited the site to see how the Ballycastle Stone on the powder coated panels was standing up as a match to the real thing. See the video and images ! The powder coated panels look bright and clean and as close a match as ever to the Jura Limestone. Powder coating has the great advantage of consistency between batches and this finish has created a homogenous appearance of stone, across the whole building, with variations in flecks of colour against the background, just as in the stone itself. The powder coating will provide excellent corrosion protection and has an external life expectancy of up to 40-years.
Benefits of working with Powdertech
- Powdertech is passionately interested in the development of powder coatings to reproduce natural tones and textures and in the effect of colour within architectural design.
- All powders have excellent weather resistance and colour stability.
- Powdertech's rigorous pre-treatment system will help to keep the façade free from corrosion for up to 40-years.
- Powdertech understands the need for fast turnaround in building construction and can accommodate short timescales
- Powdertech’s state-of-the-art plant has capacity for large fabrications.
Original Westfields case study 2018
