Highly contemporary office accommodation at One Friar Gate Square in Derby city centre’s business district has not only achieved impressive aesthetic results, but has also been awarded a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, thanks in part to systems from glazing systems designer and manufacturer Senior Architectural Systems.
 
One Friar Gate Square, on Agard Street, has a striking presence both externally and internally, offering modern, state-of-the art office accommodation for fast-moving 21st century workers. Surrounded by shops, artisan bakeries, delicatessens, bars and restaurants, the location of the building is ideal and its appearance fits in comfortably with its surroundings.
 
The innovative six-storey structure, which was designed by Leeds Studio Ltd, incorporates SMR800 and SCW+ curtain walling systems from Senior which accompany copper cladding to ensure a contemporary, first-class finish is achieved. Green tinted glazing, which adds more colour to the project, helps to establish One Friar Gate Square as a landmark building in Derby.
 
On the interior, the curtain walling systems installed by Insight Architectural Glazing Ltd maximise natural daylight to create an open, inspirational environment in which workers can comfortably operate and go about their daily business. The systems also allow workers to take in views of the city and external public spaces which surround the offices, bringing a sense of the outside, inside.
 
Senior’s curtain walling systems not only complement the copper cladding which wraps the building’s elevations but also help the architect to achieve an innovative, sustainable design along with an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating.
 
The 33,000 square feet office space has been designed to provide an environment for workers which is comfortable but which also achieves minimum energy use. The orientation and width of the building ensures that natural lighting is utilised to the maximum, and Senior’s SMR800 and SCW+ curtain walling systems assist with this.
 
Senior’s SMR800 and SCW+ curtain walling systems ensure an elegant, open feel is achieved inside and out. The SMR800 system is a robust, thermally enhanced, tubular aluminium curtain wall system. It is a stick system, zone-drained and pressure equalized with a standard choice of six mullion and six transom depths.
 
The SCW+ systems meanwhile are thermally enhanced, with large thermal barriers and high performance gaskets, which assist the building’s heat retention and therefore its environmental performance. These high quality systems can be fabricated into ladders for more efficient installation on-site.
 
Shaun Booth of Insight Architectural Glazing Ltd said: “We are proud to have been involved in this new development and were delighted to have worked with Senior’s state of the art systems, which bring modern, contemporary aesthetics to One Friar Gate Square.
 
“The project was technically demanding but Senior’s systems can be easily and quickly assembled, which made for improved on-site efficiency and an overall successful project.”