A sustainable and non-combustible choice for new Film Ocean HQ

Horizontal planks of Rockpanel Rhinestone Oak are contrasted with RAL 7037-matched grey sections, adding warmth and texture to the building's appearance and exhibting a contemporary sleek aesthetic style. The Woods collection emulates the natural organic warmth and workability of timber without the maintenance and ageing issues associated with it. All Rockpanel facades are known for their superior durability, being virtually maintenance-free and largely unaffected by moisture and temperature variations. They also meet the highest European fire safety standards, classified as Euroclass A2-s1,d0, indicating they are non-combustible. 

The sustainability and fire-resilience challenge 

Film Ocean provides innovative solutions to the global offshore energy industry through their fleet of industry-leading Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle (ROV) inspection and intervention assets, supported by highly skilled engineers and project managers. 

As part of the ISO 14001 certification, Film Ocean set clear environmental and energy efficiency deliverables for its new HQ, stating that it must contribute towards meeting its net-zero targets. Film Ocean CEO, Scott Jenney, “At Film-Ocean, our goal is clear, to ensure that the operations we conduct as a business do not harm the environment. Our commitment to environmental responsibility is evident in all aspects of our business.” 

Award-winning Aberdeenshire-based architects JAMstudio, were commissioned to design the building which houses offices, workshops, warehousing and a 5m deep Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle (ROV) test tank, along with many other facilities, plus space for the company’s fleet of ROVs. 

Achieving ambitious building performance targets  

JAMstudio Chartered Architect/Director, Marie-Louise Dunk, “Rockpanel was our rainscreen cladding material of choice for a number of reasons. For us its resistance to fire was the single most important consideration. Used together with Rockwool Rainscreen Duo insulation, it ensured we could achieve the ambitious building performance targets we had set. It is a huge bonus that Rockpanel is available in a great array of colours and surface designs. This, together with colour-matched rivets, meant we had no doubt the building’s exterior would look crisp and perform brilliantly.” 

CHAP Group were main contractors for the project. They described the process, ‘The project was complex and required a large cut and fill exercise to grade the site before construction could begin. The shell is made up of 160tonnes of hot rolled steel, 13tonnes cold rolled steel and will be covered with 2,300m² of cladding. The test tank has 60cm thick walls using 300m³ of concrete.’  

Rockpanel and ROCKWOOL – the perfect combination 

Steel and cladding specialist, KR Group, undertook installation of the external facades and steelwork. KR Group Managing Director, Kenny Robertson, “At Film Ocean, 30cm wide horizontal planks of Rockpanel Rhinestone Oak are contrasted with RAL 7037-matched grey sections, fixed to a Fastframe aluminium vertical rail system, with 75mm ROCKWOOL Duo Slab® Insulation. In common with Rockpanel, sustainability is a key focus for us, so we were delighted to work closely with Film Ocean, CHAP Group and JAMstudio to deliver this state-of-the-art project.”