VPS Property Solutions Landmark Office refurbishment
13 Jun 2018
VPS Property Solutions helped breathe new life into a 1970’s office block in Kensington. The office refurbishment is a prime example of not only how technical glazing challenges can be met and overcome in spectacular fashion, but how also glass can play a key role to a building’s architectural merit.
Challenges: Multi-faceted project, broadly comprising three areas: external glazing, specialised roof top openings and skylights, and internal glazing, including a spectacular glass balustrade.
Solution: Many competitors may specialise in one of these areas, and would outsource the others, but VPS’ team have the in-house expertise, passion and commitment to tackle all three.
THE BACKGROUND
This remarkable office make-over in Kensington, London, underwent extensive refurbishment for a new occupant. As the site is in a dense urban location and the existing structure had to be retained, the architects created unusual and innovative designs to increase daylight throughout the building. These placed significant demands and challenges for our glazing team, and included a highly unusual ‘origami’ roof, and automated skylights. The result has been shortlisted for architectural prizes, including RIBA, and The Architects Journal, and was shortlisted for the G-17 Glass awards.
SOLUTION
The main challenges of the existing building included the limited floor-to-ceiling heights, with small, residential-type windows. The new facades incorporated more commercial, much larger-scale windows, which mitigate the lack of natural light, as the designers wanted to reintroduce the principles established by the
late 19th Century buildings that once occupied the site. At ground-level, large, distinctive warehouse window openings were introduced. The façade on the upper levels has new double-glazed window units with solar control glass and improved air tightness. In total 44 new windows were installed into the main facades.
INTERNAL GLAZING REQUIREMENTS
Internally, a spectacular feature
staircase was built over three floors, comprising 37 glass balustrade panels, and
glass walled offices including two automatic glass doors.
The structural glass balustrade required
extensive research to find the right balance between safety and aesthetics, and
to source fixings that could carry the weight without looking ‘industrial’.
Frameless with handrails, VPS worked closely with the floor contractor on the
site so that many of the fixings could be hidden. The project included the
supply, delivery and installation of:
• All external windows and doors fabricated from thermally
broken polyester powder coated aluminium framing
• Glazed using the following glazing specification: 6mm
toughened Low E glass internal pane, 16mm Argon gas filled cavity with a black
spacer bar, 10mm toughened clear glass external pane to achieve a centre pane
U-value of 1.2 w/m2K
• 31.5mm glass balustrade internal balustrades
• Automated skylights
Double glazing window energy efficiency
was increased by substituting dehydrated air with the inert gas, argon, within
the unit. Argon has 34% lower thermal conductivity than air, and although
argon-filled units cost more than air-filled units, they can improve a
double-glazing window’s U value or energy rating substantially.
SUMMARY
The project manager and the engineers
went to great lengths to meet the design requirements. This attention to detail
was apparent when automatic glass doors for the office had already been
specified and sourced for this project. The building occupant then saw a similar
but alternative product installed elsewhere, and insisted this product was
installed at their office. VPS went to inspect the product, in another city,
and identified and sourced the specific manufacturer, so the customers wishes
could be met.