Products - Trimawall® and Trisofix® internal walling system
Client - Tata Steel UK
Year - 2025
Location - Shotton, North Wales
Originally a warehouse used to store steel coils and steel products based at Tata Steel’s Shotton site in North Wales. This 1940s warehouse fell into disrepair until 2006 when the building was briefly used to test new sustainable building / construction products such as thermal heat producing cladding systems.
Building Systems UK are an Enterprise of Tata Steel, providing a full range of steel building envelope products, steel flooring and steel processing services. Their existing office on site was becoming dilapidated, outdated and in need of a full refurbishment. After some consideration the decision was made to fully showcase how Building Systems UK products can be used to refurbish and breathe new life into the historic warehouse spaces on the site. The decision was made to refurbish the existing warehouse space.
The creation of a modern office environment within the warehouse shell required new rooms to be created along with screening off some of the more industrial & functional elements of the existing building. As part of the projects over-arching commitment to sustainability, a robust and future-ready solution was required for the building, one that addressed not only the environmental impact of materials used, but also the long term performance in application.
One particular challenge within the building was how to create an office aesthetic just inside the main entrance while maintaining access to key HEVAC equipment within this space. In this area the selected system would need to demonstrate long-term durability with minimal maintenance, ensuring continued value and resilience over time. It was also critical that the system met the highest standards of safety with particular emphasis on fire performance.
To deliver a high-performing and resilient internal walling system Trimawall® internal walling was specified. The system was mounted over a light gauge steel stud wall to create a new wall line inside the gable and enclosing the HEVAC unit and piping within a new cavity. Utilising the patented Trisofix® universal mounting system, Trimawall® was delivered to site as a pre-finished kit of parts so once the stud work and mounting system were installed, the Colorcoat panels with the secret fix Trisofix® clip could be simply push fitted to the wall. In total the studwork and finished wall were installed within a couple of days and with no wet trades or plastering dust, the office space remained clean and ready to use straight away.
The initial design included secret fix access panels that can be removed using the Trisofix® demounting tool – combining wide access areas with on overall smooth wall finish.
The adaptability of the Trimawall® system has been proven time and time again over the 18 months since its original installation. An initial request was to add a vision panel for the fire sprinkler control system so it could be checked on a frequent basis. In this instance the Trimawall® panel was removed, an access hatch cut out and then the same panel was reinstalled all within a few hours.
With the Building Systems UK team enjoying the new hot desking environment within the central atrium, for a time this area became used for high desk working. Again, Trimawall®’s easy removal & adaptation came to the fore with 2 panels removed to give access to the electrical circuit behind and then refitted with new plug sockets added.
A final adaptation occurred in 2025 as part of Building Systems UK mental health initiatives, when the hot desk space was repurposed into a coffee and sofa area designed to promote workplace conversations under the “spill the beans” initiative. With the coffee machine needing plumbing & waste water connections a Trimawall® panel was again removed and modified to accommodate the new services.
In all 3 adaptations the office staff were amazed how simple, efficient and cost effective these upgrades to the wall were. In each instance the panels were removed, adapted and replaced within hours, with no dust, noise or paint fumes generated, so there was minimal disruption to building users during upgrades.
EN-Construction-Contact-BSUK envelope
Building Systems UK technical team - Building Envelope
