The National Gallery – Interior 03
The National Gallery – Portrait Exterior Windows
The National Gallery – Interior Windows
The National Gallery – Interior 04
Overview
To mark its bicentenary, the National Gallery undertook a series of renovation projects designed to elevate the experience of its six million annual visitors. Inclusion, accessibility and cohesion were at the heart of the works led by architect Annabell Selldorf and Heritage architects Purcell; with our scope of works focussed on the renovation of the prestigious Sainsbury’s Wing entrance and first floor area, increasing the light and allowing for greater visibility of the activity and artworks contained inside.
Requiring a sensitive balance of historic architecture with modern functionality, the scope of works was billed as a landmark renovation for the arts and culture sector, showcasing the highest standards of expertise and workmanship.
Details
Location:
Trafalgar Sq, London
Client:
The Board of Trustees of The National Gallery
Architect:
Annabell Selldorf & Purcell
What We Delivered
In keeping with sensitive heritage renovation work of this kind, sustainable construction and retrofit principles were a central focus across all our work, as well as improving the quality of light within the double height entrance by upgrading it from dark to a low iron, clear glass. All curtain wall and fixtures remained in situ, upgraded only if beyond repair. This provided us with a fantastic learning opportunity to develop bespoke fittings to older systems which have since been discontinued. New face caps and gaskets were developed as we designed new dies to replicate the originals. This conscious, minimal intervention approach was applied to two key areas:
Logia main entrance refurbishment
In addition to refurbishing the original Gartner aluminium system along the Whitcomb Street and Pall Mall elevations (with new gaskets, new glass, existing pressure plates with new gaskets and new dies face caps), we renovated the Logia main entrance. Original component profiles were stripped and powder coated, and new brackets, glass, and gaskets were installed along with new custom-made face caps. Similarly, the existing Spandral panels were stripped, and new non-combustible insulation added to improve U-values and comply with latest regulation standards.
Timber swing door refurbishment
The existing door was removed carefully along with all the original ironmongery, glass beads and glass from both doors then taken to local architectural joinery. The bottom rails to both doors were repaired and the original lock cut outs patched in as necessary to maximise re-use of the original materials. The original varnish of the doors was then stripped, fine sanded, filled where necessary, pale polished and finished with two coats of specialist Yacht Varnish. We reglazed both doors and fitted the new oak glass beads, adding an auto head drive with safety sensors to fully comply with DA regulation, and new floor pivot to replace the old rusted one.
The Benefits
- 29% reduction in baseline embodied carbon through lean design and a circular economy approach.
- All glass was recycled to cullet at Guardian Glass in Goole, to support the closed loop of construction waste.
- Supported the National Gallery’s goal to reach net zero by 2050, building on a 46% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2005.
