Project Details - Senator House

Project Spotlight: Senator House, London

Specified by; Ben Adams Architects

Project Overview

Shackerley’s SureClad^® ventilated facade system has been used to transform the external envelope of a Grade A office building, Senator House, creating impact to maximise the building’s prime location.

The over-cladding project was part of a refurbishment that has combined contemporary open-plan floorplates with traditional material, with the the addition of a 7^th floor pavilion and roof terrace, internal remodelling works and extensive external landscaping along with a revamp of the facades.

Design Requirements

Because the original granite facade panels had been dowel-fixed into the pre-cast concrete structure, the new SureClad^® Hang On support system was fixed into the concrete by drilling through the existing facades.

Despite the large format of most of the facade panels at 1236mm x 450mm and 1490x1048mm, the panels were just 20mm thick, which reduced the structural loading of the facade and ensured that the over-cladding project did not significantly alter the external dimensions of the building.

The rectangular SureClad^® panels have been oriented horizontally at slab level, contrasting with the vertical orientation between the windows, creating interest on the revamped areas of the elevations. Custom-fabricated stepped returns create clean and neat angles at the interface between elevations.

Unusually, cladding was also required for the planters used to create the landscaping around the building.

Materials Used

A steel grey ceramic granite with subtly mottling in mid and light grey tones was selected from the SureClad^® range in a honed, matte ‘leather’ finish that was created specifically for the project. This was installed as an over-clad on areas of key facades totalling 842m², including the main front entrance to the building on the north elevation, and parts of both the west and east elevations.

Ben Sharman from Century Facades comments: “The SureClad^® system has been a key element in the transformation of this high-quality office building and the collaborative approach between Century Facades as the contractor and Shackerley as the system supplier has been critical to achieving the right finish and an exemplar installation.”