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SCHOTT GLASS - Tube Lines Define Landmark Office Interior

Easy access to London Underground and other forms of public transport are a must for most blue chip commercial office developments, but Minerva Plc’s Walbrook development in the heart of the city has taken the idea of good tube links to another dimension by installing sweeping banks of the Schott Glass product in its main reception.

The project design team has been led by Foster + Partners with the world renowned architectural practice opting to make a very strong visual statement employing two different types of Schott tube; one sleeved concentrically with the other.

The installation stands seven metres tall in the entrance area with banks of the illuminated profile rods producing a unique pattern of light and texture; rising the full height of the entrance space.

Due to the fact the standard tube length available from Schott is 1500mm, the Walbrook display required a special production run of 3300mm long profiles, which are then used end to end to achieve the required dimension.

Then, despite the fact the borosilicate glass is inherently strong and resilient, the extended length compared to the wall thickness of the Conturax profile prompted Schott’s Mitterleich Production Team to devise an even tougher arrangement. Hence each 100mm diameter Conturax rod, with its internal light refracting crests, is sleeved within a 130mm Duran tube of similar length. The latter’s nine-millimetre wall thickness being almost three times that of the Conturax product.

The form of the building is designed to minimise the apparent mass of the scheme when viewed from the street and to increase the opportunity for daylight to reach the surrounding area. The sculptural and reflective qualities of the project continue inside, with two curved full-height atria carved out of the deepest sections of the floorplate.

The main entrance hall leading into the lift lobbies is lined with Schott’s full height low iron tubes internally illuminated with individual LEDs. This has helped to create a very impressive illuminated ribbed wall surface whilst still achieving an energy efficient lighting solution.

“We are very pleased with the design of the main entrance and in particular with the full height light wall. The final solution for the light wall was a project team success story - pulling together diverse components and technical expertise to finally produce a unique and impressive feature to match the overall building design,” comments Peter Holroyd - Construction Director at Minerva Plc.

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