resolving this façade , they came to the realisation that the frit would be very visually obstructive from within the building , impacting on the fantastic views from the site . It also became apparent that the ventilated façade was not the right solution for the building economically , however the team all agreed that the expressive undulating camisole was a key feature of the building ’ s exterior form . As a result the floorplate was extended to fill the camisole space , thereby making what was previously a void in the ventilated façade now useable floor area .
To solve the issue of the façade treatment a full scale mock up about 7m high and 5m long was built and various shortlisted glass types were installed that met both aesthetic and sustainable criteria . The architects tried to create the contrast between the camisole and the rest of the façade with different colours of glass , but the visual punch required was not being obtained .
This was eventually solved by introducing the 200mm deep white aluminium fins onto each mullion on the camisole . This allowed the creation of the visual contrast without compromising the internal views . It also gave the building a uniquely dynamic character as it changes depending on the angle you approach it from as well as the time of day .
Another challenge was the large atrium roofs . The architects wanted these to provide as much light as possible which meant the engineering of a bespoke support solution that was visually unobstructive , but structurally stable . They challenged themselves further by making the glazed roofs an inverted ‘ Pringle chip ’ shape that echoed the swoop of the façade camisole . The solution from the façade engineers is an elegant tension truss lattice that supports both the weight of the glazing as well as resisting the up forces created by the movement of air over the top of the glazed panels .
The architects were challenged with how to move people vertically through the space in a way that allowed them to enjoy the scale of the atriums and concourse without being intimidated by them . They needed to relate the human scale back to the building scale . This was achieved by creating double volume landings which moderate the larger 7 or 8 level spaces . This means you can look out to the larger volume from the relative ‘ security ’ of the smaller volume space . This spatial modulation was also used in the pause areas and some of the agile spaces and has worked very well . It was a key factor in the human centred design approach as you can ’ t create grand architectural statements that people don ’ t feel comfortable in .
The Façade Pure ’ s Neil MacLeod gave his thoughts on the façade : “ The main façades are continuously curving inner and outer glass planes forming a draped ‘ camisole ’ around the building . They are aluminium framed with high performance double glazing . Some people say the glass is a bit on the dark side but that is because it was selected after intense debate and analysis to favour occupant comfort near to the façades over clearer options .
The canopies are single glazed with thick sandblasted glass for shading and to hide the dirt when they have not cleaned the glass !
The roof lights are very special and were not easy . Tears and blood were shed metaphorically and tempers were lost not so metaphorically over some of the issues sadly . But as the saying goes , we chose to do this because it is not easy . Something very special was required and generally that means something hard to do .
Take the structure first . If you look at the steel you will see a repetition of structural form . We
524 1 Discovery Place