The bespoke glass installation blends with the original building and the new extension
It is great to highlight how aluminium and glass is used in some of Britain’s iconic or well known buildings. Our article last year on the curtain walling system installed in The Shard is one of the most viewed pages of this website.
BBC Broadcasting House in Portland Place has been extended with a stunning glass facade installed by MERO-SCHMIDLIN (UK) PLC, a company that has a very impressive portfolio of very prestigious installations throughout the UK.
The glass extension to BBC Broadcasting House also needed to consider the unpleasant situation of a possible terrorist attack. Today, blast resistant glass needs to be taken into consideration with buildings in locations that could be subject to attack.
The specialist glass industry has taken the experiences of previous terrorist attacks and used this knowledge in modern construction methods.
MERO-SCHMIDLIN (UK) PLC say:
Like most threats it can be hard to determine the size of the explosion and the proximity to your location. The channelling effect of other buildings and street architecture can change the way the pressure wave effects buildings. Post examination of explosions can reveal some odd results. Unprotected buildings further away can sometimes have more damage than more immediate buildings. Although there is a pressure wave the result is glass being pulled out of buildings rather than being pushed in. Once the initial pressure wave of air has hit the building there is a vacuum left where the air has been violently moved out of position. It is the suction effect that can pull the glass outwards.
The glass facade to BBC Broadcasting House was designed to ensure glazing and fixtures that would hold the glass in place with an installation suspended seven floors up and taking into consideration walkways between the outer building and the glass facade that were needed for maintenance. Additionally the design of the building as a ‘Horseshoe’ required brackets that would take high winds into account as well as the security aspect of the build.
The glass facade is constructed from flat stainless steel sandwich sections and suspended a meter away from the inner glass facade. Clear and opaque glass panels using a structural silicone glazing arrangement is used.
So what aluminium system is used in this complex glass facade?
Schűco modified curtain walling is installed with laminated double glazed units, testament to the excellent engineering of Schuco aluminium and the versatility of the system coupled with it’s ability to be used in the most complex of installations.
All images courtesy of MERO-SCHMIDLIN (UK) PLC and www.frontelevation.co.uk
The post Safety Critical with glass facade at BBC Broadcasting House appeared first on Aluminium Trade Supply.
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