19 Nov Project update: The Acre, Formerly Known as 90 Long Acre, London
In an autumn 2022 news story, we reported our appointment by main contractor Lendlease for architectural metalwork on the phased redevelopment of one of London’s landmark buildings: The Acre in Covent Garden.
The project has now significantly progressed, so we can share an update and images of some of the architectural metalwork solutions we have designed and installed so far.
The project
The Acre will be a mixed use development of office, leisure and public spaces. Offices will take up 240,000 sq ft, while 20,000 sq ft will be for leisure and public use. There will be 8 large terraces with green spaces with stunning views of the London skyline. Sustainability is at the heart of this development; the goal is for The Acre to be Covent Garden’s ‘greenest building’.
Formerly a brutalist building built in the 1970s and known as 90 Long Acre, the development was a ‘modernist icon’ that took up an entire block of Covent Garden’s iconic Long Acre, the 17th century street that runs from St Martin’s Lane to Drury Lane. The Acre takes its name from its location and the size of its footprint.
90 Long Acre was identified as the perfect site for an inspirational work space in the heart of the city. Approximately 80% of the original structure has been retained for the new development. This bodes well for the developer’s target of BREEAM Outstanding certification which will endorse their groundbreaking and pioneering practices for achieving the highest standards of sustainability.
PAD Contracts architectural metalwork for The Acre
The Acre is one of many high profile construction developments in central London that it is a privilege for PAD Contracts to be involved with.
Being engaged on the project at an early stage gave us time for an extensive design and planning process, during which we were able to submit designs with samples. As such we were ready to start work ahead of time.
Our brief was to design, manufacture and install the following architectural metalwork elements:
- Roof walkway
- Roof balustrades
- Handrails
- Automated loading bay gates
- Cycle entrance
- Stair extension
- Cycle racks
- Corner protection
- Ramps
- Ladders
- Stairs
Other miscellaneous metalwork items will also be provided throughout the development.
Our work so far
Here are some of the highlights and images of our completed work on this project so far.
The grey metal roof balustrades, guardrails and mesh walkway system are now in place. They wrap around the roof of the building to provide a secure and safe barrier, while providing easy access to the pipework, HVAC systems and other essential infrastructure systems located on the roof.
Handrails have been installed in many areas of the development including along steps in the atrium that lead to the main entrance. Smart, black metal gates and railings are also now in place in various locations which contrast beautifully with the sandstone coloured walls.
At ground level, to the external perimeter of the building we have installed black railings, mounted into a concrete base, to sit approximately a foot above the ground. This separates the pavement from the lower ground floor windows and provides space between the two, which is accessed through repeating railing gates. The black railings have a contemporary up and down design that complements the simplicity of the sleek, black window frames.
Check back for further updates
As this project nears completion, our involvement has now picked up significant pace. Check back here for further updates.
PAD Contracts: Your architectural metalwork partner
Do you specify architectural metalwork for construction developments? Please get in touch to discuss your upcoming projects.