by office buildings and attractive landscaped inner courtyards .
Attractive , flexible and readily divisible office buildings line the streets above the retail levels . Their varied façades accentuate the urban street edges . Access to these offices is either directly from the parking in the basement or street level . The office entrances share frontage with the line shops integrating the office and retail experience for both the tenants and visitors to the precinct .
The architecture of the new precinct continues the existing measured expression characterised by the use of first world and natural materials .
Careful use of similar brick types and pointing details to the existing precinct and the introduction of new external plaster materials have created a sympathetic yet unique and varied architecture to enhance the powerful Melrose Arch brand .
The buildings are generally orientated to the north , and with the reduction of glass façades on the east and west façades , the use of performance glazing , in combination with deep balconies , horizontal shading devices and roof insulation , the heat loading has been reduced to an acceptable percentage for the HVAC system .
The buildings are all concrete framed with predominantly face brick façades for ease of maintenance . Each building has been carefully crafted to include distinctly different façades to the vehicular street , public piazza , office courtyard and / or pedestrianised shopping experience . Emphasis has been placed on the human scale at street level , encouraging comfortable interaction of the pedestrian retail interface with the corporate office above .
The buildings are all individualised by a singular architectural detail ; a steel and timber sunscreen , full height flat iron curtain wall , a triangulated light filled foyer , a west facing sunscreen , opera box balconies , a two storey natural sandstone cladding all provide a easy means to name and localise the building within the greater precinct .
Adding a special dimension to the shopping experience is the faceted performance glazing of the “ Galleria ” roof . The traditional enclosed mall is completely reinvented , to have the light and open qualities of the High Street , by a protective canopy which keeps out the rain , reduces the
252 Melrose Piazza