15-metre atrium in 70s transformation
11th April 2017

Award-winning architectural practice Flanagan and Lawrence has transformed a seventies office block, part of Bath Road Central office park, with the help of a triple-height structurally glazed atrium.

The front of the building features seven full-height structural frames supporting a canopy to form an entrance that delivers a modern interpretation of a classical portico. Behind this is the 15m-high glazed atrium constructed from glazed units, supported by a low-profile framing system.

Double-glazed Pilkington Insulight Sun units comprise an outer pane of 6mm-thick toughened and heat-soaked Pilkington Suncool 66/33 and an inner pane of 10mm-thick Pilkington Optifloat Clear, also toughened and heat-soaked.
This gives the glazing the combination of insulation, solar control, transparency and structural strength that is needed to create a climate that can be kept cool in summer and warm in winter without excessive heating and air-conditioning costs.

Pilkington UK commercial sales manager Michael Metcalfe said: “The UK may have a very stable climate compared with many parts of the world, but without the right glass in place, a triple-height fully glazed space can easily overheat in the sun or get cold during the winter months.

“The Pilkington Suncool glass we have used in this project keeps out 64 per cent of the sun’s energy while allowing a high visible light transmission of 66 per cent. This is possible thanks to an advanced multi-layered coating that filters out the invisible, but very high energy, UV rays in sunlight while still allowing most of the visible light to pass through.”

A second, internal atrium lets natural light enter the rear portion of the building. This is covered by a glass roof created using double-glazed units incorporating 13.5mm-thick Pilkington Optilam Clear.