Curved Sliding Doors: One Poultry Lane

Design Brief / Overview

Over the past 10 years Open Entrances has been privileged to work with many of the leading British Architects on creating unique and innovative glass entrances on some of the most prestigious buildings in and around London. So when architects Buckley Gray Yeoman approached us to assist with the renovations of One Poultry Lane building in the heart of London's financial district, we were delighted to accept. Originally designed by British Architect James Stirling and completed in the late '90s, One Poultry Lane is the youngest building in the UK to receive a grade II listing by the government in 2016.

Our brief was to design, engineer, construct and install a façade and architectural entrance that was in keeping with the buildings heritage whilst maximising the amount of natural light to reach the building's lower levels. As the building is grate II listed, particular attention had to be given to the design of the façade along with the materials used in the construction process.

Solution:

The design had to reflect the building's heritage and the final proposal was to create an oversized curved façade and entrance which was as dramatic and architectural as the building itself. In order to maximise the amount of light entering the building and to improve the U-Value of the building, 5m high curved double glazed glass sections, each weighing 750kg were constructed and installed by our team of specialist glass technicians and engineers. To complement the oversized façade the design also demanded the creation of two sets of 5m tall automatic bi-parting curved glass doors running on an overhead curved track and drive mechanism. This posed a significant engineering challenge to ensure that the mechanisms were designed and constructed to ensure reliable and safe operation. To comply with the listed building material specification guidelines the design was constructed with brass details so as to compliment the aesthetics and heritage of the building.