WICONA

The cantilevering form of a visually distinctive "Saw-Tooth" facade to the Bright Building on Manchester Science Park brought enthusiastic approval for the designers and specialist cladding contractors who created the enclosure using one of WICONA's well-proven system Constructed for the Bruntwood Estate with the Manchester Office of BDP leading the design team, Bradford based Quest Solutions were the fabricator who carried out the design, manufacture and installation of the curtain walling and window package for this project. Following analysis of the challenges presented by the scale and complexity of the curtain wall envisages - including the weight of the glass units the 12.5m tall feature would carry - it was determined that WICTEC SG system was the most suitable choice. 

Dating from the 1880's, the 'Triplets' are a trio of interlocking skeletal drums that once held the supplies of Town Gas, which have now been relocated to a site near the Regents Canal; maintaining a link to the district's industrial past. Now containing 145 residences, The Gasholders have earned developer Argent, and Wilkinson Eyre Architects and RIBA London Award 2018 and a RIBA National Award 2018.Within the Grade II steel framework that was restored at Shepley Engineering’s Yorkshire workshops, the triple glazed and thermally broken aluminium WICLINE window solution provides the occupants with excellent thermal performance and weather resistance, as well as high acoustic control as they look out on the views of the capital. The package was delivered by Italian Project Manager, Frener and Reifer, working in close consultation with WICONA at Ulm in Germany. The world-renowned consultancy, Arup filled the dual roles of façade and structural engineers.The Facade Engineer on the project for Arup, Rob Buck, commented: “We provided a performance specification to Frener Reifer who then identified WICONA’s WICTEC system as the most applicable to the project’s demands. The WICONA façade system met the stringent thermal requirements which were compounded by the penetrations through the façade to support the balconies and solar-shading systems. The primary façade was installed from the floor plate which avoided the potential of clashing with the Gasholder steel framework.”

One of the World’s Most Sustainable Office Buildings. The new headquarters building for KfW Bank in Frankfurt features extensive use of Wicona unitised curtain walling.

WICONA has designed a high-performance, unitised facade system incorporating two new door innovations for Newfoundland Tower, the tallest residential tower to be built within the Canary Wharf Estate. The solutions have been developed to perform well in challenging high-rise conditions. The doors used in this project feature unrivalled weather performance, reduced sightlines and are aesthetically pleasing without detracting from the overall design intent of the building. Newfoundland Tower is the first tall building to be designed by HCL Architects. The slim flattened diamond plan responds to the narrow footprint of its tight site and the diagonal alignment of adjacent streets. The landmark tower provides 636 apartments and is suitated directly above the Jubilee Line near Westferry Circus at the end of Middle Dock, and the tower's distinctive diamond pattern created by the externally structure, provides lateral stability and is the most efficient way for a tall building to withstand wind forces. The unitised facade system used for this project was designed as a bespoke solution by the WICONA project engineering team in partnership with our client, Schneider GB Ltd. 

A new Indian research station in the Antarctic features high performance aluminium glazing systems from Wicona, which will have to withstand some of the most extreme conditions on earth. Designed by Hamburg-based architects, bof Architekten, the research station Bharati is being sited on the Antarctic coast, having been transported from Germany via South Africa by ship as a series of prefabricated modules.

Specially-adapted façade systems from Wicona have been specified for a new £26m library – a magnificent and inspirational undergraduate facility for the University of Leeds, one of the largest universities in the UK.

The façades of four buildings at Velocity Village – one of the largest mixed-use developments in Yorkshire – have been entirely replaced using 14,000m² of curtain walling from Wicona.

WICONA has created innovative aluminium solutions to help Glenn Howells Architects deliver Ballymore’s Wardian London development.Wardian London is the newest addition to the Canary Wharf skyline and is a fusion of organic nature, modernist architecture and state of the art construction. Designed to offer a haven of peace and beauty in the heart of London, Wardian London features two towers for living, eating and socialising.The slender footprint of the two towers allowed the architect to address the difficult dockside location, due to the elevated DLR track, by placing the residential element of both blocks above a communal podium.Residents benefit from modern apartments maximising the use of space and light. The luxurious homes at Wardian London feature WICONA bespoke Pull-Slide doors. These innovative low operating force aluminium doors balance a high natural light offer with exceptional weather performance to deliver enhanced user comfort.

The creation of a new corporate headquarters and customer interface facility for a York based insurance company has seen high performance systems from the WICONA range employed to help achieve the client’s ambitions of building a stylish and sustainable property, including attaining a BREEAM rating of Very Good.