A landmark building in the heart of London with historic links to Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper is nearing completion, utilising the latest in steel glazing technology to maximise natural daylight and meet modern security requirements.

3-8a Whitehall Place is to be the new HQ for the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. The Grade II Listed building actually occupies the former site of Scotland Yard. This was the first headquarters of the Metropolitan Police from 1829 to 1890, when the famous, if fictional, detective and the infamous killer were on the prowl.

The current building, which dates from the 1950s, has been completely refurbished to provide 135,000 square feet of government offices in an area adjacent to Westminster and several other government departments.

Within the 10 storey building – only the façade is being retained – steel glazing systems supplier Wright Style Ltd (tel. 01380 722239) has provided 700 square metres of its advanced T-Series curtain walling, to form a secure four-sided internal atrium and light-well – a focal architectural feature within the main entrance to the building.

Combining aesthetic properties normally associated with aluminium and the structural strength of steel profiles, the T-Series curtain walling system allows for large expanses of glazing without the need for secondary support assemblies.

Wright Style’s system was supplied through its licensed fabricator CAP Aluminium of West Bromwich (tel. 0121 525 1000), who fabricated and installed the system. The glass was single-ply laminate, supplied by Pilkington.

The standard system hardware was supplied with fixings and bracketry designed specifically for the project to meet the specifications required. The system uses a dry-glazed EPDM gasketed system.

The project architects were TP Bennett and the main contractor was Kier Construction.

Source

Glass Age