News
30 | JANUARY 2018
News
Read online at www. proinstaller. co. uk
SOARING GLASS WALL CENTREPIECE
A state-of-the-art office space is often seen as a big part of the brand for fast-growth technology companies. This was the brief for Isle of Man-based architect Savage and Chadwick when asked to design a building at the Douglas headquarters of online gaming software business, Microgaming.
The new building sits adjacent to the company’ s existing office and both sites connect via a glazed‘ sky bridge’ across the road in between the two. Providing office space for the company’ s rapidly expanding Isle of Man team, the premises plays a key role in attracting and maintaining talent for the company. As well as providing state-ofthe-art office facilities for employees, it also includes a roof terrace, a canteen and coffee bar, a gym and a gallery space.
The main focal point for the building is a full-height wall of Pilkington Planar™ glazing, which rises more than 25 metres tall and spans nine metres wide. This encloses a five-storey atrium, creating a dramatic entrance to the building and flooding its interior with daylight.
Uninterrupted views, controlled climate
To maximise the transparency of the glazing, and provide the best possible views to occupants, the glass is supported by a lightweight tension structure, combined with low-profile stainless steel point fixings.
This avoids the need for any large framing elements, giving the appearance of an almost free-standing wall of glass.
To give added strength to the system and to meet the demanding design criteria, the Pilkington Planar™ system is designed with an outer pane of 12mm-thick Pilkington Suncool™ Pro T – a toughened glass that provides high resistance to wind loads.
In addition to its structural performance, this glass also features an advanced solar control coating that reduces the amount of the sun’ s energy entering the building while maintaining high levels of transparency.
This helps to reduce the risk of the space overheating during the warmer months of the year, meaning it does not require intensive air conditioning to maintain a comfortable climate and reducing building running costs in the longterm.
An engineered solution
Working closely with designers at Pilkington and IOCHRE, the team developed a bespoke tension structure to support the wall of glazing, which was installed by structural glazing specialist OJ Taffinder.
Ollie Taffinder, managing director at installer OJ Taffinder, said:“ We needed a system that would allow us to create a large, clear façade for the front of the building, without using bulky and unsightly framing.
“ The tension structure is an evolution of more traditional rigid steel structures and provides a very elegant appearance, similar to that which can be achieved with glass fins. The clean lines and low profile of the stainless-steel bolts used by the Pilkington Planar™ system finish the design perfectly, delivering an almost uninterrupted wall of glass.”
www. pilkington. co. uk
CARE AFTER COMBAT
Hallmark Panels Ltd supports Care After Combat, a UK based charity which provides professional assistance for the well-being of veterans and their families. The charities mission is to support veterans with alcohol and substance misuse problems and reduce the numbers of re-offending veterans in the criminal justice system.
Giving back to the community and supporting charitable organisations
‘
an honour and a privilege to be associated with this charity
’ is a fundamental part of the Hallmark ethos. Staff managed to raise £ 250 by wearing Christmas jumpers, buying raffle tickets and making donations, all of which were matched by the company raising a total of £ 500.
The company directors were invited to the Care After Combat Xmas Bash fundraiser at the Dorchester Hotel in London hosted by charity chairman Jim Davidson.
“ It is both an honour and a privilege to be associated with this charity and we will continue to support them throughout 2018,” said Lorraine Snell, MD.
www. hallmarkpanels. com