46 PROJECT REPORT: HOTELS
involved simply stripping away a layer of magnolia-coloured waterproof paint, applied in the 80s, and washing the concrete to expose the aggregate. “After revealing the aggregate, the wall came alive, making it possible to see the different strata, from the time the concrete was poured, and the mix of different sized blue, green and brown stones,” says project leader Martinovsky.
The windows are based on designs for Venetian hand-blown lamps
The top six floors of the building were stripped back to the base grid of concrete columns and beams, which define the layout of the new Royal Portfolio Hotel behind.
Each square opening in the facade is fitted with a curved, multi-faceted glazing panel that bulges outward by one metre, as if gently inflated.
The windows are based on designs for
Venetian hand-blown lamps, created by blowing glass through chicken wire mesh to create miniature bubbles. Each acts as a form of structural dome comprising 56 triangular panes of structural glass, the largest opening is around 6 metres tall by 5 metres wide. Heatherwick Studio worked hard to
maximise the number of facets in each panel to create a form that looked as close to curved as possible, without blowing the budget.
The glass is fixed with structural silicon
to T-section aluminium extrusions, which are attached to a frame of flat steel bars. A degree of opaqueness and reflectivity was required to reduce heat gain and glare in the searing heat of summer. “We questioned whether to install a standard curtain wall facade, as this method is not very unique and associated with generic office buildings and towers. This building deserved something special that would be dignified enough for a cultural institution,” Martinovsky comments.
The windows glitter and pick up reflec- tions during the day, and when lit at night, they draw public attention to the building. They now give it a special extra visual presence in the city, which despite its monumental size, it previously lacked.
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK ADF OCTOBER 2017
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