The brief

St James Point is an 11 storey apartment block that houses 216 studio apartments for student accommodation. It is situated within easy walking distance of Newcastle University, Northumbria University and Newcastle College, at a central hub of the city’s shops, bars and restaurants. The building is finished in a mixture of aluminium cladding but the architect wanted to add another dimension to make it stand out from others and be a striking and desirable building to live in.

What we did

Aliva UK designed a stunning silver anodised aluminium expanded mesh façade that stood away from the building to provide depth and impact. This gave a visual lift to the flat coloured panel and a strikingly different look to the whole building. The mesh panels were overlaid on to bright orange aluminium cladding. The mesh was expanded as a wide aperture allowing the colour to shine through the silver effect, resulting in an eye-catching effect that turned the building into a local landmark.

What makes it special

The aluminium mesh cladding has added a luxurious, textured finish to the building, lifting it from the functional to the extraordinary, creating a striking, shimmering façade that turns heads.