Bluewater Shopping Centre

Client:		Lend Lease Corporation
Architect:		Eric Kuhne Assoc' Benoy
Main Contractor:		TCL

Possibly one of the UK's last major out of town shopping centres, Bluewater in Dartford, North Kent is one of the biggest in the country. Set in a reclaimed former quarry and built complete with cinemas, shops and restaurants, the outstanding interiors of Bluewater set it in a class apart from previous shopping centres.

Over 80,000 m² of Knauf Plasterboard, both standard Wallboard and Fireshield fire-resistant board have been used with Knauf metal studwork to create inter-tenancy partitions throughout the development

A triangle of three double-storey malls, with a barrel vaulted roof for daylight and ventilation, 154,000 m² of floor space and 320 different retail outlets make Bluewater the largest centre of its kind in Europe. Knauf Plasterboard systems were specified for inter-tenancy walls and bulkheads throughout the development.

Knauf's technical department were able to offer comprehensive technical support and detailing service to project architect Benoy and drylining contractor TCL.

"Knauf were particularly helpful when it come to detailing the drylining for the walkway which runs along the malls between the ceiling and the roof", says Alec Weyman of Benoy. "The Technical Department provided all the information we needed on the fire resistance characteristics and which we were able to pass directly to the Building Control Officer."