4 Longwalk, Stockley Park

4 Longwalk, Stockley Park

Sector:
Commercial
System:
Proteus HR
Architect:
Barr Gazetas

Striking high gloss Proteus HR soffit panels and rainscreen cladding have been used on a futuristic Grade A office redevelopment next to Heathrow airport, London.

4 Longwalk in Stockley Park has remained faithful to the original Arup-designed building, with a new dynamic entrance, atrium and dramatic roof soffit featuring Proteus HR high gloss panels in RAL 7004 Signal Grey.

Identical Proteus HR high gloss panels were used at the rear of the building to create a vertical band of rainscreen cladding that runs up the building over a stair core and ground level entrance and walkway.

The Proteus HR soffit panels, specified by Barr Gazetas architects, form a striking, reflective underside of the large 19m cantilevered roof that shelters the front forecourt and vehicle drop off point, adding drama to the main entrance.

Proteus design staff engineered the soffit system to achieve the optimum outcome for the client, architects and installer. This involved increasing the thickness of the aluminium skin on the soffit panels, enabling their span to be maximised in line with the architect’s brief.

Increasing the panel skin thickness also had the effect of minimising the structural requirement on the soffit system, meaning Proteus was able to optimise material usage to meet the overall budget set for this element of the building.

Each soffit panel is supported by the Proteus aluminium carrier system and ancillary components. All Proteus HR cladding and soffit panels are designed with tight radii at the edges for superior sightlines. They are anchored to the cantilevered roof structure with invisible fixings, accentuating the sheer, smooth high gloss aesthetic.

A link with the original Arup building design is maintained through a large circular penetration that is punched through the projecting roof, which also creates additional light and space. Proteus assisted during design, detailing and installation of this circular aperture to ensure it integrated perfectly with the soffit.

The design team at Proteus Facades worked with Deepdale Solutions, the cladding and soffit installer, to create an engineered solution on this challenging project, with visual purity of the soffit and rainscreen cladding being the overall architectural requirement.

“We felt that the tone set by the high gloss finish on the Proteus HR soffit panels achieved the aesthetics we were seeking on this project,” said a spokesperson from Barr Gazetas Ltd. “The Proteus’ HR system with a RAL 7004 Signal Grey gloss finish accentuates the full quadruple height reception area, increasing the impact and presence of the entrance in keeping with the scale of the building.”

Proteus HR is an integrated modular rainscreen system with an aluminium honeycomb core, structurally bonded between two thin gauges of lightweight metal skin to create an optically flat panel. It is available in steel, aluminium, zinc, stainless steel, copper alloys and other materials.

The standard gauge Proteus HR metal skin is capable of maintaining a perfectly optically flat surface. This means cladding and soffit systems specified with Proteus HR are lightweight, strong and with exceptional flatness, combined with tight radii at the edges and with high resistance to impact, thermal bow and ‘oil canning’

The original 4 Longwalk was designed by Arup Associates and completed in the early 1990s. Barr Gazetas architects were commissioned to carry out an extensive refurbishment, including fitting the building out to CAT A standard and achieved an EPC A and BREEAM Excellent, with the works completed by Kier Construction

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  • PPC Aluminium Rainscreen Cladding - Proteus HR
  • PPC Aluminium Rainscreen Cladding - Proteus HR
  • PPC Aluminium Rainscreen Cladding - Proteus HR