An ‘outstanding showcase’ for Pilkington

Pilkington glass has been installed at the London headquarters of property investment firm, Lazari Investments.

The company wanted to maximise the presence of the building at street level, so design and architecture studio, MoreySmith created a two-storey, retail-style glazed façade.

To provide clear views in and out of the building, MoreySmith opted to use 6 and 8mm-thick Pilkington Suncool OW glass, installed by glazing specialist, Vitrine Systems.

This glass uses a Pilkington Optiwhite substrate, a true low-iron glazing that provides the visual clarity demanded by architects, and virtually eliminates the green tint traditionally associated with float glass.

A Pilkington Suncool 70/35 OW coating was specified to reduce the risk of excessive solar gain inside the building and the reliance on air-conditioning, to provide a comfortable internal climate all year round. Maximising the environmental performance of the building was a key goal and the scheme has been awarded a BREEAM Excellent rating.

The new headquarters places a major focus on employee wellbeing, and maximising natural light was a big part of this. To that end, the architect designed two large, glazed atria at the rear of the building that allows sunlight to flow deep into the floorplans.

Anthony Williams, associate director at installer Vitrine Systems, said: “This building is an outstanding showcase of how glazing can help create inviting and inspiring spaces that draw people in and help them feel happy while they work and socialise.

“It’s the latest in a long line of projects we’ve delivered in collaboration with Pilkington UK, and the outstanding quality of the products, backed up by excellent technical support, make them the supplier of choice for demanding schemes such as this.”

Jason Eggerton, UK specifications sales manager at Pilkington, said: “Architectural glazing is a fantastic way of showcasing a building and maximising sightlines and also bringing natural light into interiors, something that has been shown to have massive wellbeing and productivity benefits.

“As this building demonstrates, by choosing the right specification of glass it’s possible to reap these major benefits without compromising on environmental performance.”