THE Facade – Minories 24-26
Since November of last year, there is an impressive backlit curtain wall in London made of solid surface material. It is the front of the newly built Motel One building at the London Minories 24-26, not far from the Tower.
Such an extraordinary project is rarely undertaken without detours and new insights. Many issues emerge that arise during the development of detailed solutions and require a stringent, solution-oriented approach within the limitations of the project. In the end, it always boils down to a solution that meets the technical requirements and implements the design idea as accurately as possible. The conflict between these two poles is natural and makes our work interesting again and again.
For this curtain wall, the drainage of rainwater was not approached in the usual manner (as far as possible over the front face), but rather behind the “Rain Screen” along the cassette façade mounted as a hull for the building and thus flowing between the two façade layers. The idea was to keep as much of the dirty rainwater as possible away from the white front.
Comprehensive studies on the stability of the material were necessary in order to ensure that the long façade could meet the requirements for long-lasting performance. This included not only the durability of the material with regard to its own weight and wind pressure, but also long-term stability considering the cleaning lift, which was installed to clean the facade.
For this project, 5D Engineering was responsible for engineering the backlit curtain wall. In close consultation with the façade builder, Architectural Aluminium Ltd. from Ireland, who was contracted with the responsibility for the overall façade, details were developed and made ready for production. The lighting effect was discussed in great detail.
The result is convincingly attractive in its appearance and effect, both with and without light.
- Completion date: November 2014
- Design: Ken Mackay
- Manufacturer of the overall facade: Architectural Aluminium Ltd.
- Manufacturer of the Rain Screen: Rosskopf + Partner AG
- Photos: Nick Kane
