Turning a tired office block into a welcoming and inspiring building

McBains architects were approached by British Steel Pension Fund Trustees Ltd to create a design that would refresh all the communal spaces within this leased office building. They also wanted an inspiring concept to liven up the entrance area, which opened onto the side street West Harding Street, rather than Fetter Lane itself.

Read here how Elizabeth Humphries, Associate Director at McBains, describes their response to the challenges that this building presented.

How to create chunky Brise Soleil fins that won’t bow or drag on the building’s existing façade?

The design for the Brise soleil showed solid-looking fins however with sparse information on the structure of the building’s existing façade, attaching a weighty superstructure was not a viable option. Also taking into consideration that solid metal fins would bow another design solution was needed.

Read here how the design conundrum was solved using V-grooved and folded profiling.

Creating a new entrance, façade and canopy with limited site access – and a tenant in situ.

Following the rather ambitious design for a smart Brise soleil, canopy and column in PVD coloured stainless steel the question arose "How to get on site to install?" There was limited site access and a tenant in situ throughout the refurbishment process.

Read here how the problem was solved using a method of modular build.

V-grooving and folding to create the appearance of solid material

In the case study you will have seen how V-grooving and folding stainless steel sheet created the fins for the Brise soleil, giving the appearance of being solid bronze. V-grooved profiles are lightweight, less expensive substitutes for solid materials such as brass and bronze.

See a range of V-groove profiles




Click here to see a video of our V-grooving machine in action

Request a visit to our new Wimbledon factory to see the PVD machine in action




Request a sample of V-grooved and folded PVD coloured stainless steel

Read full case study here

15 Fetter Lane, EC4A, London.
PVD stainless steel brise soleil, canopy and column.

15 Fetter Lane, EC4A, London.
Before: The office building lacked presence along this stretch of imposing buildings.

15 Fetter Lane, EC4A, London.
After: New façade of PVD stainless steel brise soleil, canopy and column.

15 Fetter Lane, EC4A, London.
Brise soleil, canopy and column from V-grooved PVD stainless steel.