OAG will design, fabricate and install aluminium and steel double glazed facades to the high quality post-graduate accommodation at Wood Lane Studios for Imperial College.

Wood Lane Studios

Wood Lane Studios will provide high quality postgraduate studio accommodation and key worker apartments to help to meet the growing demand of Imperial College postgraduate students and key workers. Now under construction, the studios will be completed late summer 2012.

Phase 1 includes four blocks of studios and communal facilities providing high quality accommodation for 606 postgraduate students, together with a development of family apartments along the south of Shinfield Street. Also included is a meeting room facility which will be available to people living and working in the area on a pre-booking basis.

Wood Lane Studios will eventually form part of a new campus for Imperial College. The Campus will be expected to generate and maintain over 2,450 jobs and will accommodate in addition to the postgraduate and key worker accommodation, a range of uses including research and teaching facilities (such as the world class School of Public Health), a new business incubator for the companies created through Imperial Innovations plc and management offices for the College.

These further phases form part of a wider regeneration plan for the land east of Wood Lane down to Westfield. Subsequent phases of the development will be the subject of further discussion and consultation with the London Boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea, together with the Greater London Authority.

OAG are installing bespoke free standing screens to the external façade of the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid’s renovation and development of The Magazine building in Kensington Gardens, to become the Serpentine Sackler Gallery.

The Serpentine Sackler Gallery, situated a stone’s throw from the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens will bring a unique listed building into public use for the first time in its 206-year history, providing a new cultural destination and landmark for London. The Gallery is named after Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler, whose Foundation has made the project possible through the largest single gift received by the Serpentine Gallery in its 41-year history.

The restoration and extension will offer nearly 900 square meters of galleries and social space. The adjoining extension will be used as a café/restaurant, creating a permanent architectural landmark in the heart of London.

Responding to the Grade II listed building and the Grade I listed landscape, Zaha Hadid has designed a light and transparent extension for the Serpentine Sackler Gallery to be used as a café/restaurant and social space. This will complement the historic structure, which will be refurbished and completed with a new north wing that emphasises the oldest part of the building — the former powder store — as a central citadel. The modern extension will be added to the west, a contemporary lightweight partner to the original building’s classical weight.

Covered by a lightweight tensile membrane, the extension compliments rather than competes with the main building. The structure is defined by a single roof surface that playfully undulates, at times dipping down to touch the ground before rising up again. Roof lights punctuate the peaks of the surface, bringing natural light into the interior. The surrounding grounds, created by the landscape designers Gross Max, also take on an undulating form. Protected trees and hedges, as well as the historic ha-ha, will be retained.

The Serpentine Sackler Gallery will present the best in emerging international talent across all art forms, complementing the existing programme at the Serpentine Gallery. Commissioning new works, public engagement and cultural learning will be at the heart of its programmes, which will include an annual large-scale light installation inside the building and an outdoor Playscape for children and adults of all ages. Like the Serpentine Gallery, it will be free of charge and accessible to all.

The Magazine Building – Its History and the Site

Of exceptional historical and architectural interest, The Magazine was built in 1805, in the style of a Palladian villa, as a gunpowder depot for the army in the event of a ‘foreign invasion or popular uprising’, but has not housed munitions for the last 50 years. It occupies a prominent position on West Carriage Drive, running from Exhibition Road to Bayswater Road. Kensington Gardens is an eighteenth-century park and combines wide-open spaces with elegant tree-lined avenues. Home of Peter Pan in statue form, the park also houses Kensington Palace, the Albert Memorial and the popular Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground.

The Royal Parks extended an invitation for proposals for potential future use of The Magazine building in August 2009. Three bidders were shortlisted, all proposing galleries, but it was to the Serpentine Gallery that a 25-year licence was awarded for the Serpentine Sackler Gallery.

The Serpentine Sackler Gallery Programme

Open daily, with free admission for all, the Serpentine Sackler Gallery will present the stars of tomorrow in art, architecture, dance, design, fashion, film, literature, music, performance and technology. Diverse audiences will be able to engage with every aspect of contemporary culture through exhibitions, installations, performances and special commissions. New partnerships will be forged between the arts, creative industries, sciences and education in this test-site for new ideas.

The Serpentine Sackler Gallery will offer two annual commissions to leading international contemporary artists: a large-scale object for the Playscape — a landscape for families to explore art through creative play, sited in the grounds — and a light installation in the café/restaurant.

The Magazine in Kensington Gardens is located on West Carriage Drive, just north of the Serpentine Bridge. For more info please refer to this detailed map of the park.

OAG have secured a contract to fabricate and install over 1000 square meters of 30 minute fire rated atrium glass over seven floors.

160 Great Portland Street

The headquarters of the 160 GPS offices are currently undergoing a complete refurbishment programme and are scheduled to be ready for occupation by May 2012.

Great Portland Estates plc (GPE) has secured a pre-let agreement with visual effects company Double Negative for offices at 160 Great Portland Street (pictured – website).

Oscar and BAFTA award-winning Double Negative have agreed to a 20-year lease for the whole 85,000 sq ft offices. The 8-storey building was substantially redeveloped during the 1990′s with only the exterior facades retained. The building offers column-free floor plates up to a maximum size of 14,400 sq ft, arranged around a full-height, glazed atrium.

Architects are: Liftschutz Davisdon & Sandilands

OAG have won a package to design and install a bespoke glass solution to an existing building frontage covering three sides of the building with a new main entrance and retail shopfronts for the British Land and Blackstone refurbishment.

199 Bishopsgate refurbishment targets BREEAM Excellent

British Land and Blackstone achieve planning consent for 142,000sqft refurbishment of 199 Bishopsgate

Bluebutton Properties, British Land and Blackstone Group’s joint venture company, today announced that it has achieved planning consent for the major refurbishment of 199 Bishopsgate in the City of London. The scheme, which is due for completion at the end of next year, will deliver 142,000 sq ft of high quality office accommodation.

Located opposite Broadgate’s newest buildings, 201 Bishopsgate and The Broadgate Tower, the refurbishment is part of the joint venture’s on-going strategy of investing in Broadgate to continue to provide modern world-class accommodation in the City’s premier London office estate.

Designed by John Robertson Architects, the refurbishment will substantially increase the operational lifespan and sustainability of the building. Targeted to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, the design solution will upgrade the building from an Energy Performance Rating of E to a B, with a potential reduction in CO2 emissions of 60% compared with current performance. Further measures taken to meet stringent environmental targets for the refurbishment include increased insulation, re-use of the building’s structure and of materials wherever possible, reductions in water consumption and waste, and new bicycle storage and showers for 70 cyclists. A new brown roof will also be introduced to increase biodiversity on the site. All new materials have been specified in accordance with the ‘Green Guide’ set by advisory body BRE, whilst 97% of strip out and 90% of construction waste will be re-used or recycled.

To enhance the profile, the main entrance will be relocated to provide a prominent and contemporary double height reception, fronting on to Bishopsgate, whilst a retail unit will enliven the building onto Primrose Street frontage. Internally the office floorplates and cores will be reconfigured to improve the layout, efficiency and flexibility of the space.

Project team:
• Client: British Land Company
• Project Manager: M3 Consulting
• Main Contractor: Como Interiors Limited
• Architect: John Robertson Architects
• Structural Engineer: Meinhardt
• Building Services Engineer: Chapman Bathurst
• Sustainability consultant: Environmental Perspectives LLP
• CDM: Capita Symonds

The Optima Group has been selected as a finalist for in the ‘Best Achievement in Construction’ for The Optima Glass handling initiative.

OAG has secured a bespoke glass and fire rated screens package on the initial phase for on the Transforming the Tate Modern Project.

The Tate Modern Project

The new building will sit to the south of Tate Modern. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, it will rise from behind the power station as a new iconic addition to the London skyline.

Like the original Tate Modern, the new building is designed by Herzog & de Meuron and will present a striking combination of the raw and the refined, found industrial spaces and 21st century architecture.

View from Oil tank Lobby (Left) and the views West from the Ticketing Desk (Right).

© Hayes Davidson and Herzog & de Meuron

OAG to install lift lobby fire doors, screens and balustrades to the central areas and special feature floor light channels for Land Securities at their prestigious Park House development.

Park House, W1

Mayfair and Oxford Street has always been one of London’s stranger juxtapositions. The former is a place of discreet Georgian elegance, full of designer boutiques and exclusive residences. The latter is Europe’s busiest high street, teeming with millions of shoppers on a mission. Park House is a new mixed-use development set to transform the relationship between the two.

Imagine eight floors of office space with only six internal columns, creating City-standard spaces, including two spectacular upper floors beneath the double-height curved glass roof. It’s set to be the most sought-after commercial address in London. But office space is just one element in the mix. Eleven retail units feature shop fronts twice the average height for the area, perfect for drawing in the estimated 200 million people who visit Oxford Street every year.* Then there are the residential apartments, with their own entrance on North Row – luxurious spaces in the heart of Mayfair, with Selfridges as your local corner shop.

This is the kind of opportunity that comes along once in a lifetime in this part of London – a new building occupying an entire city block. The dramatic curves of the glass exterior have been compared to a sleek racing car, elegantly maximising the available space without overpowering the surrounding area. The building also showcases an entirely new approach to commissioned art, by incorporating it within the fabric of the building itself. Visitors are greeted by a glass prism of liquid light created by Carpenter Lowings, while artist Walter Bailey has created extraordinary works in wood to adorn the exterior and reception.

Facts & Figures

Status: in development
Type: mixed use
Completion: November 2012

Net Internal Areas
• Office: 15,140 sq m (163,010 sq ft)
• Retail: 8,140 sq m (87,660 sq ft)
• Residential: 5,430 sq m (58,500 sq ft)
Architect
• Hamiltons
• Robin Partington Architects
Developer
• Land Securities, London Portfolio

The CMAs (Construction Marketing Awards) are organised by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and recognise marketing excellence within the construction industry.

The site, which was built and is maintained by Cyber-Duck Ltd, was up against the likes of Sage Construction, Gifford and Groundforce in the award short-list. It features a professional design, easy to use graphical user interface and interactive diagrams; all of which matches up to OAG’s position as market leaders.
The judges commented on the site: “An impressive site clearly reflecting the company’s design and engineering excellence. A range of interactive tools provide clients with detailed technical drawings as well as documentation to help with cost planning and design. A good-looking site that encourages exploration through an authoritative yet relaxed look and helpful, pre-emptive navigation. There is good use of modern web technologies to aid interaction and improve usability. The site is also great for lead generation.”

This is the second award the new website has won this year, after its silver “Davey Awards” win in November.

The shortlist is a result of the company’s determination to create a website that is engaging to customers and better reflects OAG’s market position as leaders in the design, management and installation of specialist glazing products.

From the outset, the brief was to create a website that would exceed the levels of quality by providing a superior user experience that explains OAG’s core competencies and processes quickly and easily. Part of this was the development of a member’s area where customers, including contractors, architects cost consultants and engineers can download technical drawings, health and safety information and other valuable resources.

The underlying objective of the website was to increase the amount of business and enquiries OAG received. The website was therefore built with search engine friendliness in mind, by employing the best SEO practices throughout.

Working to a set of clearly defined business objectives the new site now ticks the boxes of being user friendly, having dynamic features, an integrated CMS, multimedia content, accessibility for disabled users and integration of online marketing.

Launched in February 2010, the new site has also proved its effectiveness with OAG ranked third on Google.co.uk for architectural glass and with 7,692 visitors, 615 downloads of DWG and CAD files and 153 registered users. Further demonstrating its success, the site recently won a Silver award at the Davey Awards for ‘Manufacturing Related Website’.

The awards are organised by CIMCIG (Chartered Institute of Marketing Construction Industry Group), featuring 15 categories. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner on the 2nd December.

Being completed by Mace fit-out subsidiary, Como, the scheme at One Angel Lane in the City of London, will see the Investment Bank Nomura, double its office space in the building by extending its trading floors into the 11-storey atrium.

As part of the creation of additional office space, Nomura decided that one of the original dry lined stairwells should be opened up and glazed. In addition, further architectural glazing was required, including the installation of balustrades on internal bridges and new lift lobby wall cladding. The original building known as Watermark Place was designed by Fletcher Priest with TTSP taking on the design for all the building modifications and space planning for what is now called One Angel Lane. Working alongside TTSP, OAG had the expertise to deliver the client’s requirements.

The core 3 stairs, which cover four floors of the building, had originally been dry lined, providing the necessary protection for both fire fighters and building occupants, in the event of a fire. With the dry lining removed, OAG was tasked with engineering a glazed solution that would maintain this level of protection.

Working with leading glass manufacturer, Pilkington, OAG undertook considerable research to satisfy the requirements of the District Surveyor. Conforming to British Standard BS 9999 Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings, the team created a solution that included 2 hour fire rated glass and glazed doors to achieve a rating of EI-120 – the highest fire rating possible.

The solution comprised Forster insulated 120/120 frame sections and Pilkington 120/120 glazed units. This was acknowledged as passing the test specified by BS 476: Part 22:1987 in respect of both integrity and insulation.

As part of the design process, TTSP sought approval of the design from the District Surveyor and the local Fire Officer. The design was also approved by fire safety consultants, LFCDA.

In addition to the fire rated glazed stairwell, OAG also installed black painted glass within the lift lobbies and glass balustrades on the internal bridges that intersect the building, further demonstrating their ability to tackle the most challenging architectural glazing project.