Specialist structural solutions

Wicona has worked with Glassolutions to deliver the glazing and facades package for One Bedford Avenue, a flagship mixed use development in central London.

The 115,000ft2 mixed-use office and retail development at One Bedford Avenue replaces two outdated office buildings on the corner of London’s Tottenham Court Road. The design concept for the building from Bennetts Associates was to create versatile, energy efficient spaces that would maximise natural light throughout the seven-storey building and provide the best possible views of the surrounding area.

Wicona’s Wictec 50 Stick build curtain wall was selected. The design of the system allowed floor-to-ceiling glazing to be achieved and the extra narrow 50mm profiles further minimised interruptions to the views from the building.

Access to the building’s upper floor terraces is provided by Wicona Wicstyle 65 doors, which were specified to replicate the aesthetics and integrate with the curtain walling.

A semi-bespoke window system was also created using Wicona Wicline 75 with window profiles designed specifically to meet the aesthetic and structural requirements of the development.

The thermal and air-tightness performance of the windows, doors and curtain walling was an important factor in achieving the energy efficiency targets for the building. Both the Wicstyle doors and Wicline windows feature multi-chamber thermal insulation systems that help the building to meet the required U-values.

The location of the development in a busy part of London and a site perimeter similar in size to the building’s footprint meant that external access was extremely limited. To overcome these challenges, the Glassolutions project team developed a sliding track system to move the glass units into place to be installed from inside the building. As well as removing the need for floor cranes, this method allowed the installation team to remain safely behind perimeter protection at all times whilst also freeing up the floor slab for other trades to operate safely.

John Foster, commercial director of Glassolutions’ contracting division, said “With the exterior glazing and curtain walling being such a key part of the architect’s vision for this spectacular development it was essential to select the right products to achieve both the required aesthetics and performance.”