The Gilbert & One Lackington (City Gate House)

Project Focus: City Gate House

PAD Contracts were recently contracted to provide architectural metalwork installation services on a refurbishment and extension project at London’s City Gate House, which incorporates The Gilbert and One Lackington. PAD Contracts were commissioned by architects, Stiff & Trevllion for the project led by Principal Contractors, Mace to install and refurbish architectural metalwork elements of the project.

 

City Gate House, built in the 1930s in Finsbury Square, was previously the home of Bloomberg HQ. The building was bought by Brookfield and has since undergone major refurbishment to provide over 200,000 square feet of office and social space over 10 floors, including at lower ground and basement levels.

 

The extension was designed to combine indoor and outdoor space to bring emphasis to daylight, external spaces and sustainability. At the core of The Gilbert six new terraces were introduced that can be accessed directly from the office space.

 

By demolishing as little as possible, the project retained 90% of The Gilbert’s embodied carbon. The original steel columns, high ceilings and feature staircases were all kept and used in the refurbishment.

As architectural metalwork specialists, PAD Contracts used expertise and sensitivity to create bespoke metalwork designs for the refurbishment of the metalwork elements of this major refurbishment.

 

Window guards

We installed bespoke window guards in all windows from which users might be at risk. The window guards were designed to be sympathetic to the heritage of the building exterior and interior.

 

Brass and timber handrails

Bespoke metalwork designs were created for both the new and refurbished brass and timber handrails that were to be installed on the five core feature staircases throughout the property, again in keeping with the legacy of the building.

 

Terrace railings and steps

For the new terraces, we designed and installed bespoke metalwork railings and steps. We balanced the safety requirements with artistic flair to create architectural metalwork designs that complemented the high-end design and finish of the internal and external spaces.

 

Refurbishment and automation of existing gates

It was established that the existing gates could be kept but they needed to be refurbished using architectural metalwork to be authentic to the original design. In addition they needed to be automated so our team of experts implemented the technology within health and safety guidelines.

 

New lightwell stairs

In line with the focus on bringing light into the building, we developed new lightwell stairways to replace old rusty stairs to allow natural light into the interior space. This included the architectural metalwork of the space itself as well as the stairs and handrails. The new stairs meet modern standards and allow access to the UKPN and lightwell areas.  One of the new stairs features wheel tracks that allow street access to the cycle parking areas.

 

Back of house metalworks

The back of house metalworks included fire escapes, access stairs, gates, railings, guardrails, handrails and balustrades. Back of house metalworks are an important element of any build project as they are predominantly for safety and access.

 

Get in touch

If you have a build project that requires expertise in architectural metalwork, get in touch for an informal chat about how PAD Contracts can help.

 

Images courtesy of www.stiffandtrevillion.com/projects/view/city-gate-house

Project Details

Address: 39-45 Finsbury Square, London, EC2A 1PX

Architect: Stiff & Trevllion
Principal Contractor: Mace|
Sustainability: Targeting BREEAM ‘Very Good’
Awards: Shortlisted 2022 BCO Awards

Description: Window guards, brass and timber handrails, automated gates, railings and steps, lightwell stairs and general Architectural metalworks

For more information on our architectural metalwork, fabrication and installation services, contact us today.