Aluprof Gives Light to Hayward Gallery
Since opening in Summer 1968, the
Hayward Gallery has earned its title as
one of the worlds leading contemporary
art galleries. Closed in September 2015
and open again in January 2018, the
Gallery underwent an extensive two
year refurbishment programme. In
May 2019 the refurbishment won the
prestigious RIBA London Award Awards
and RIBA the National Award 2019.
The main focus of the refurbishment
was the replacement of sixty-six glass
pyramid rooflights which were re-
engineered to let controlled natural
lighting into the upper galleries for the
first time. The refurbishment was made
possible by a grant from Arts Council
England, the Heritage Lottery Fund,
trusts and foundations, and Southbank
Centre friends supporting the ‘Let The
Light In fundraising campaign.’
For the new pyramid construction the
architects chose to use aluminium
profiles from Aluprof’s MB-SR50
Curtain Wall system. The four sided
pyramids are glazed on two sides
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with laminated low-iron glass and to
maintain weathering the square base
of the pyramid rooflight, utilised an
additional 5° slopped, low-iron, double
glazed unit. The two glazed sides of the
pyramid offer sun shading to the lower,
5° sloped glazing whilst still allowing a
view of the sky from below through the
two open sides of the pyramid.
The sixty-six new pyramid rooflights
replace the original, problematic,
heavily leaded, single glazed Georgian
glass units.