Client: Landor/The Ballymore Group
Architects: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Main contractor: Balfour Beatty
Project Value £110 million
Over 1,000 high performance aluminium windows and balcony doors from Wicona will be installed at a new luxury residential development now under construction in London's Docklands.
Developed by Landor, a subsidiary of The Ballymore Group and under construction by Balfour Beatty, the £110 million Providence Tower scheme will have spectacular views over Canary Wharf, the River Thames and the City of London.
Designed by international architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the development will provide 484 waterfront homes at New Providence Wharf – a premium riverside precinct. The majority of the apartments will be in a 43-storey high tower, with the remainder located in the Bar Building – an adjacent 12-storey curved podium wing.
Due for completion in 2016, the 136m high tower will have a distinctive elliptical shape and a ‘stepped’ appearance – echoing the adjacent Ontario Tower. Its innovative design maximises views of the River Thames and features balconies that are positioned at the open edge of each ‘peel’ to provide sun shading to the apartments below and to appear 'woven' into the building envelope.
The door and window solutions have been developed and engineered by Wicona in close collaboration with fabricators, Lindner Fassaden.
According to Andy Karaiskos, Project Architect at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, “The specification of Wicona’s balcony doors to the tower was driven by performance. There were a number of technical criteria which had to be met for a building of this height, and particularly the system’s resistance to wind loadings. Other factors included air permeability, safety and security, thermal and weather capabilities, acoustic protection, and aesthetics. Wicona’s WICLINE evo suite met all the performance requirements.”
More than 650 WICLINE 75 evo side hung and fixed light casement windows will be used for the apartments in the Bar Building. These will be internally glazed with trickle ventilation through a fixed spandrel or fixed transom above the window.
The largest window spans up to 2.4m high to maximise natural light and provide floor-to-ceiling glazing. The units will be finished in silver anodising externally and grey polyester powder coating internally to complement the scheme’s interior and exterior design themes. The windows also meet Class RC2 and Class RC3 for burglar resistance.
Around 500 WICLINE evo single-leaf, inward-opening balcony doors are to be used for the tower. For the low level curved Bar Building, Wicona will supply 110 outward-opening balcony doors with fixed side lights. These will provide access to the private balconies for each apartment, allowing impressive views and extending the open-plan living spaces outdoors. The doors for both buildings will feature a barrier-free threshold for disabled access for Lifetime Homes compliance and a number will be delivered in line with burglar resistance to Class RC3.
Facilities at Providence Tower will include an athletic club with a 25m swimming pool and steam room, sauna and hydro areas. The development will have a business centre with office and meeting rooms and residents will have exclusive use of a sky lounge and garden terrace on the 43rd floor with panoramic views across London.
The WICLINE evo window and balcony door suite uses a single system with common components to achieve an almost unlimited range of opening and design configurations whilst simplifying specification, fabrication and installation. This allows specifiers to realise complex yet attractive façade designs combined with a high level of functionality and precision. There are options for enhanced security, bullet and burglar resistance, thermal and weather performance, acoustic protection, open-in and open-out systems, and a high quality range of window fittings.
Image © The Ballymore Group
