structure . A steel and bond deck structure was framed with a series of steel ribs which carried the glazed roof and perforated aluminium side cladding . Glass balustrades also help reduce the visual mass of the structure . A fritted glass roof helped reduced the heat load on the bridge and the swooping shapes created in the façades were carried through to the aluminium side cladding . The graded pattern created by the perforations in the side cladding also helped maintain a comfortable air flow across the bridge whilst shielding staff from rain during the wet days .
Fire Escape Access Another big consideration , and one which was assisted by the revised shape of the building , was to remove all external fire escape stairs from the corners of the building . To have multiple corners of the building obstructed by large , mostly unused structures was not desirable . The longer narrower structure brought these corners closer together , providing an opportunity to remove as many as four corner escape points and consolidate escape routes in one central scissor staircase . Whilst offering four separate escape points from the office levels , the double staircase also functions as a key circulation route between office levels .
The Façade There are a total of three primary façade systems which make up the various external façades on the facility . The Primary NW and SW façades utilise a unitised flush glazed system . The reception lobby employs a spider glazing system and the ground floor canteen , parapet wall strip windows and third floor balconies utilised a pressure glazed system .
Solar E Plus grey fully toughened glass was selected for both its aesthetic and performance abilities . The darker glass helps to create the contrast between the glass and the white powdercoated aluminium fins , whilst the high solar performance characteristics help to deal with the high solar levels on the two fully glazed façades . A double glazed system on the viewing panels on the NW façade was also utilised to further reduce solar gains within the office space .
The darker and ‘ heavier ’ visual effect of the upper level flush glazed façades was then offset by choosing a lighter more see through glass on the ground floor canteen level . The entire ground floor space is set back from the upper floor edges , which provides the internal spaces with some shading from the overhangs . The Solar E Clear glass , whilst also having good performance specifications , allowed for better views both into and out of the canteen space and created the visual effect of the primary structure ‘ floating ’ above the podium gardens . The exact same system was also utilised on the third floor balconies which had a better solar orientation and also allowed clearer views out of the executive canteen .
This left the reception lobby façade . Due to the revised shape of the building and unique shape of the reception lobby the façade system had to both make an architectural statement on approach and also complement the shallower lobby depth .
The design decision to move away from the more typical deep voluminous atriums of the surrounding buildings to a shallower more efficiently designed atrium meant that the glass needed to provide far more than weather proofing and complement the views from the lobby back out into the podium circulation and parking areas . The Spider Glass façades in a 12mm Coollite ST 167 Neutral glass , offered a slightly higher solar performance level than the Solar E Clear but still allowed for wonderful views both into and out of the atrium . The slight reflective nature of the external face of the glass also gave the entrance feature a bit of a silver sheen which makes it stand out from the surrounding façades .
Building Overview The design and layout of the various levels were really dictated by the functions contained within each level . The ground floor canteen grew from occupying around 50 % of the usable space to occupying the entire 750m 2 area . Shifting the primary food production kitchen to the P1 basement level meant that the focus could be placed on the servery and seating areas .
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