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Encasement says it supplied and installed 20 bespoke Forma aluminium column casings during the refurbishment and extension of Winchester College’s New Hall. Four feature casings at the new entrance were 450 mm in diameter and 5.8 m high, concealing steel supports for a pitched canopy. All 20 received a RAL 7015 grey polyester-powder-coat finish, while the external units used asymmetric header collars cut on site to match the canopy’s angled geometry.
The work was part of a wider New Hall project that Encasement described as worth £4 million in 2016. That figure is a company-reported project value, not an independently verified final outturn cost. Encasement’s April 2023 retrospective says the canopy and extension had been completed seven years earlier, so completion was approximately 2016 rather than a precisely documented handover date.
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| Item | What the project account establishes |
|---|---|
| Building | New Hall, Winchester College |
| Original building | Constructed in 1961 for concerts, lectures and examinations |
| Refurbishment context | Entrance and foyer revision, performance-space upgrades, retractable bleacher seating, mechanical ventilation and room-geometry changes intended to improve acoustics |
| Casing supplier and installer | Encasement |
| Casing range | Forma bespoke metal casing range |
| Quantity | 20 bespoke aluminium column casings |
| Entrance feature | Four casings, each 450 mm in diameter and 5.8 m high |
| Structural purpose | Conceal steelwork supporting the pitched entrance canopy |
| Other locations | Sixteen additional casings elsewhere in the scheme, including the main glazed foyer |
| Finish | RAL 7015 grey PPC (polyester powder coating) on all 20 units |
| Special fitting detail | Asymmetric header collars for external casings, cut on site to suit the angled canopy |
| Architect named in the 2016 announcement | Barnsley, Hewitt & Mallinson (BH&M) |
| Reported project value | £4 million, as described by Encasement in 2016 |
These are project-specific statements from Encasement’s contemporaneous announcement and later retrospective. They should not be read as an independent survey of the building or as a performance test of the casings.
What changed at New Hall
New Hall began life in 1961 as a multi-purpose venue. Its programme of concerts, lectures and examinations demanded a large, adaptable interior rather than a single-use auditorium. The later refurbishment and extension addressed both public arrival and the way the performance space could operate.
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Encasement describes a revised entrance and foyer, giving visitors a new arrival sequence and a more prominent glazed front-of-house area. Inside the performance space, retractable bleacher seating allowed the room to change configuration. Mechanical ventilation was upgraded, and the geometry of the room was altered with acoustic improvement in mind. The project therefore combined architectural presentation, building services and operational flexibility; the column casings were one visible element of that larger intervention.
BH&M is identified as the architect in Encasement’s 2016 project announcement. The available project account does not provide a separate contractor list, a detailed programme or a measured post-occupancy assessment, so those aspects should not be inferred from the casing installation alone.
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Why the columns needed a bespoke enclosure
Structural steel is often essential to a canopy or glazed entrance but can be visually awkward in a finished public space. A casing creates a controlled architectural surface around that support. In this project, Encasement says the four entrance casings concealed the steelwork carrying the pitched canopy while giving the entrance a coordinated, finished appearance.
A casing is not the same thing as a replacement column. The steel remains the load-bearing element; the aluminium enclosure is a non-structural architectural skin unless a project engineer specifies otherwise. That distinction matters when setting tolerances, planning access and coordinating fire, movement and maintenance requirements. The project description confirms concealment and appearance as the goals, but it does not claim that the casings carried structural load.
The Forma range is described by its manufacturer as bespoke metal casing for structural steelwork and building services. It can be made in aluminium or stainless steel, with project-specific shapes, dimensions and finishes. Those general product capabilities explain why a casing system could be adapted to the entrance geometry, but they do not prove that every material or profile option in the range was used at Winchester College. The documented project material identifies aluminium for all 20 units.
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The documented casing specification
Four entrance casings
The entrance group consisted of four circular casings, each 450 mm in diameter and rising 5.8 m. Their height followed the scale of the new canopy supports. At that size, fabrication, lifting, temporary restraint and joint alignment must be resolved before installation; the source, however, does not publish a fabrication drawing, section detail or installation tolerance.
Sixteen casings in the wider scheme
Sixteen further casings were installed elsewhere in the project, including the main glazed foyer. Encasement does not state that these units shared the entrance casings’ 450 mm diameter or 5.8 m height. Their dimensions and exact locations should therefore be treated as project-specific information to obtain from the design team rather than assumed from the feature group.
Finish and colour
All 20 units received a RAL 7015 grey PPC finish. “PPC” denotes polyester powder coating: powder is applied to prepared metal and cured to form a continuous coloured finish. The selected grey was intended to fit the interior design scheme, according to Encasement. The account does not state the coating thickness, gloss level, pretreatment system, warranty period or corrosion category, so those items would need confirmation on a new project.
Asymmetric header collars
The external casings required special asymmetric header collars. Encasement says these collars were cut on site to fit the angled canopy. A header collar is the transition piece where the casing meets the structure or canopy zone. Making that transition asymmetric avoids forcing a square or level termination onto an inclined support, reducing the visual gap at the junction. On a live project, the final cut depends on surveyed steelwork, canopy pitch, cladding build-up and the agreed joint line; it should not be copied as a universal detail.
How the casing and canopy interface works
The entrance detail illustrates a common coordination problem: a regular vertical enclosure meets a non-horizontal canopy. A practical design review should address five interfaces.
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- Steel support: Confirm the steel section, base plates, bolts and any stiffeners that the casing must clear. The casing should conceal the support without obstructing inspection points that the engineer requires.
- Canopy geometry: Record the pitch, edge thickness and cladding build-up. The Winchester units used asymmetric collars because the canopy was angled; a different roof form would need a different transition.
- Movement: Allow for thermal movement of the canopy and differential movement between steel, aluminium and adjacent glazing. Fixed points and sliding points should be defined by the design team.
- Access and joints: Decide where longitudinal joints, removable panels and inspection covers sit. A visually clean surface still needs a maintainable way to reach bolts, drainage and services.
- Weather line: At an external support, detail seals, flashings and drainage so water cannot track behind the casing or into the foyer. The published account confirms the external collars but does not describe the waterproofing build-up.
These checks turn a casing from a late decorative wrap into a coordinated part of the envelope and interior package.
A typical delivery sequence for a project like this
Encasement says it supplied and installed the Winchester casings. The following sequence is a practical way to manage a comparable commission; it is not a claim that every step occurred in exactly this order at New Hall.
- Freeze the design intent. Establish which supports are to be exposed, which are to be enclosed and how the finished diameter or profile relates to doors, glazing, ceilings and floor finishes.
- Survey the installed steel. Verify centre lines, plumb, base conditions, canopy pitch and obstructions after the primary structure is in place. Survey information is especially important where a collar will be cut to an angled canopy.
- Develop shop drawings. Show casing segments, joints, access panels, header collars, fixing brackets and interfaces with adjacent trades. For circular work, state the controlling diameter and acceptable out-of-roundness.
- Approve material and finish samples. Confirm aluminium grade, sheet or extrusion thickness, RAL colour, gloss and coating specification. A colour name alone does not define durability or appearance under different lighting.
- Fabricate and trial-assemble. Check that long sections, rings and collars align before transport. Large pieces may require split sections or concealed splice details to suit site access.
- Coordinate logistics. Plan delivery routes, lifting equipment, storage protection and the order in which glazing, canopy cladding and internal finishes will be completed. A 5.8 m feature casing needs a safe handling plan even when its steel support is already stable.
- Install the support system and casings. Set brackets without transferring unintended loads to the enclosure, protect the PPC finish and maintain the designed joint widths.
- Fit and trim the transition. For an angled canopy, take a controlled site measurement, cut or adjust the asymmetric collar, and seal the final interface after the canopy build-up is complete.
- Inspect and hand over. Check colour consistency, dents, joint alignment, sealant, access-panel operation and the absence of sharp edges. Record cleaning instructions, replacement parts and any areas that must remain removable.
What to compare when commissioning new casings
The Winchester project is useful as a specification reference, but its numbers should not be treated as a standard package. A new brief should compare the following variables explicitly.
| Decision | Questions for the design and procurement team |
|---|---|
| Material | Is aluminium appropriate for the exposure, weight and finish requirement, or is stainless steel needed? The documented Winchester units used aluminium. |
| Exposure | Are units internal, external or crossing the weather line? External sections need movement, drainage and sealing details in addition to appearance. |
| Shape and profile | Are supports circular, square, tapered, faceted or irregular? Record finished dimensions rather than relying on a nominal steel size. |
| Height and handling | Can the casing be delivered as one piece, or should it be split for lifting and access? The entrance examples reached 5.8 m. |
| Canopy or soffit junction | Is the termination level, stepped or angled? The Winchester entrance required asymmetric collars cut on site. |
| Finish | Specify the colour reference, coating system, gloss, pretreatment, sample approval and cleaning method. Winchester’s documented colour was RAL 7015 grey PPC. |
| Maintenance | Where are removable panels, inspection openings and replacement joints needed? Concealment should not eliminate access to the structure or services. |
| Responsibility | Who surveys the steel, approves shop drawings, takes the final site measurement and signs off the finished interface? |
Because Forma is a bespoke range, a quotation should be based on drawings and site conditions rather than a catalogue “per metre” assumption. The 20-unit Winchester package demonstrates the value of defining repeated elements and exceptional pieces separately: the entrance group had a published diameter and height, while the other 16 units did not.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteHow to read the reported £4 million figure
Encasement’s 2016 announcement described the New Hall refurbishment and extension as a £4 million project. The figure belongs to the company’s account and covers the wider project, not a stated price for the 20 casings. It should not be used to estimate a casing rate, and it is not evidence of the final account, inflation-adjusted value or a measured saving.
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A client assessing a similar scheme should separate the budget into structural work, envelope and glazing, mechanical and electrical services, auditorium equipment, finishes, professional fees, temporary works and specialist casings. Only the last category would relate directly to a casing quotation, and even that can vary with survey complexity, access, coating, fire requirements and the number of unique transitions.
What the public record does—and does not—establish
Encasement’s April 2023 retrospective says the canopy and extension were completed seven years earlier. That supports an approximate 2016 completion date, but no exact handover date is supplied. The company’s 2016 announcement names BH&M as architects and gives the £4 million project description.
The available account does not provide independent measurements of acoustic improvement, energy use, maintenance performance, corrosion resistance or construction cost. It also does not publish a post-occupancy evaluation or confirm whether the casings have been altered since installation. Those limits matter when using the project as a precedent: it is strong evidence of the chosen design and delivery scope, not a laboratory or operational performance study.
The College’s general campus information describes historic buildings and the medieval stables housing its Treasury museum, but it does not independently confirm the New Hall casing package. For the dimensions, finish, installation details and budget, the responsible attribution remains Encasement’s own project reporting.
Practical lessons for architects and clients
- Design the termination early. The canopy-to-column junction can dominate the appearance of an entrance. Resolve its geometry before fabrication, then reserve a controlled site-measurement step for unavoidable construction tolerances.
- Distinguish repeated work from one-off work. A quantity of 20 does not mean 20 identical parts. The four entrance casings had documented common dimensions, while the remaining units may have differed by location.
- Specify the finish as a system. RAL 7015 identifies colour, not the complete coating performance. Add pretreatment, gloss, durability, repair and cleaning requirements to the specification.
- Protect access to the structure. A casing should hide steel without preventing inspection of bolts, welds, drainage paths or fire-stopping that must remain serviceable.
- Coordinate the survey with the installer. On-site collar cutting is effective only when the survey datum, cutting responsibility and approval process are clear.
- Keep budget claims qualified. A headline project value is useful context, but it should remain labelled as the reported budget and should never be presented as a verified final spend for the casing package.
Winchester College’s New Hall shows how a relatively small specialist package can have a large architectural effect. The documented result is a coordinated set of aluminium skins that allowed the entrance steelwork and foyer supports to read as deliberate elements of the refurbished building rather than exposed construction. The value of the case study lies in that coordination: bespoke profiles, a controlled finish and a carefully resolved canopy junction, delivered within a much larger public-building transformation.
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