ADDING SPACE AND LIGHT TO SELFRIDGES, OXFORD STREET

An intriguing project requiring a continuous curtain wall to be installed inside a stone column facade

PURPOSE OF THE WORK:

Working with Selfridges on the redevelopment of the famous retailer’s adjacent premises on Duke Street was a highly prestigious project for us. We were consulted to oversee the installation of curtain walling and reglazing as part of an overhaul of the entire building.

WHAT WE DELIVERED:

This unique job required our expertise to install curtain walling to the inside of the building’s stonework to preserve the exterior look. As part of this process, the interior concrete slabs were also extended to add an additional 200mm to the interior floor space to maximise the footprint within the original structure.

The Architect’s plan required alterations to the standard Schuco ADS70 system. Bespoke L shape aesthetic face cappings were required, designed in-house and used for all glazing. To envisage this in situ, we crafted a full-scale mock-up at our office in Chessington. This 6-metre model meant the family owners of Selfridges could come and visit to see and sign off our plans.

Due to the highly pedestrianised nature of this area of London, exclusion zones and signage were crucial in carrying out the works safely. The largest units of glass weighed up to 500KG and using a glazing robot ensured the swiftest and most accurate fitting. The site managers worked alongside several other trades involved in the refurbishment to carry the work out in this way, so while using the robot was certainly the safest option, it required a great deal of collaboration with other contractors to get the job done in sync.

Glazing level six involved a full road closure, over two weekends out of hours.  A large mobile tower crane was supplied by our contractor to carry out a full contract lift to the complete works, including road traffic control and closures.

We designed and supplied curtain wall and doors for a new inset top floor break-out area to create an open-air social space.

The team were onsite for a year to ensure the full works were completed to our standard and the building’s new appearance is truly a testament to the architect’s design and expert installers working in unison.

BENEFITS:

• Additional internal and external space created in busy London location
• Improved internal environment
• Adapting Schuco template for made-to-measure client requirements