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Blade Stunner

Editorial Type: Case Study     Date: 05-2015    Views: 5532      






SimpsonHaugh and Partners used Generative Design to shape their One Blackfriars tower concept, letting daylight into neighboring properties via a blade-thin, 50-storey skyscraper.

London's leading property developer, St. George PLC, retained SimpsonHaugh and Partners to fulfil a vision for mixed-use development at the junction of Blackfriars Road and Stamford Street, situated at the head of Blackfriars Bridge in the central London borough of Southwark. The award winning practice designed the GBP 250 million signature skyscraper One Blackfriars using GenerativeComponents, Bentley's parametric modeling software, to set out the curved geometry of the building form and define the relationships between internal and external façades. The 170-metre tower joins a sequence of landmarks along the Southbank of the River Thames, where its minimal footprint and slender profile allow it to rise skyward without overshadowing its neighbours.

One Blackfriars presents 74,925 square metres of prime space for a 152 room boutique hotel and 274 luxury apartments, as well as retail shops, restaurants and bars, a health and fitness centre, community viewing lounge and underground parking. The site also makes space for a landscaped public piazza. Targeting ambitious performance standards for sustainability and energy, the tower was designed to Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH) Level 4 whilst the hotel was designed to Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) Rating Very Good.

BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOUR
In an age of austerity and popular criticism of the contemporary tower form, the introduction of another sculptural skyscraper to the Central London skyline could have been controversial. One Blackfriars achieved the balance between form and function to earn its place on the cityscape, but not without a struggle. Conceived in 2004 as a hotel-led tower, the concept for One Blackfriars eventually earned community approval and planning permission, having been tested during a public inquiry in 2008 where they were responsive to public feedback.

To stand the test of time, the tower design needed to address form, scale and proportion as well as deal with the recurrence of element repetition, and provide a contextual response to the particular place. The No. 1 challenge was to establish a base at the bottom of the tower on the site without obstructing the daylight of neighbouring properties. At the same time, SimpsonHaugh had a responsibility to fulfil numerous functional pragmatics of the original program. Finally, the building had to be beautiful from every aspect.

The final tower design marks the southern bridgehead of Blackfriars Bridge and is a gateway to Southwark. SimpsonHaugh conceived a thin form with 'shoulder blades' on the east and west elevations that reduce its apparent width. To develop the design for this flaring shape, SimpsonHaugh developed a set of innovative tools based on existing applications such as GenerativeComponents, Bentley Architecture, and other software that integrated with the core Bentley applications. The aim was to use the technology to deliver the scheme with fewer people, in less time, and with fewer errors due to reworking or inaccurate coordination.

BUILDING WITHIN A BUILDING
SimpsonHaugh benchmarked its existing processes, team structures and uses of technology against best practices in architecture, engineering and other industries. For example, the design and manufacture of boat building and luxury yachts inspired the development of the building canopy. Bentley applications provided a solid platform for parametric modeling and building information modeling (BIM). SimpsonHaugh customised and enhanced the available scripts and tools to push the boundaries of what could be achieved.

The design created a double-skin façade, where the outer leaf is a substantially transparent glass surface that traces the curved geometry of the envelope. The solid elements of the more orthogonal inner leaf are coloured to overlay the interior volumes with a subtle variation of rendering that lightens as the building extends skyward. The building-within-a-building concept resulted in an outer skin comprising 5,496 panels - each one different from the other - including flat, single and double curved. The inner skin provided thermal lining and opacity. The building breathes through the skin, so ventilation and solar gain had to be quantified and accommodated.



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