The prestigious Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute is celebrated as one of Europe’s largest centres for interdisciplinary neuroscience excellence. Based in the heart of King’s College London’s Denmark Hill Campus, it is home to a distinctive core of neuroscience research.
Architects Allies and Morrison collaborated with healthcare specialist PM Devereux to respond to the design needs of the 10,000m² building, including installing facades and glazed panels to the exterior of the building. In the staff dining area a sliding glazing system was required that would be easy to operate and let in as much light as possible. Lightweight and easy to operate, ES Finestra’s award-winning Zero 1 Lift-and-Slide system – with glass-to-edge glazing – was the superior choice for the space.
ES Finestra’s Lift-and-Slide takes the refined design of a casement window and injects it into the mechanics, operation, and aesthetic of a sliding door. Compacted tracks that sit below the floor threshold boast an innovative T-REX joint, ensuring water tightness over 2000 Pa, and a z-shaped thermal break which, alongside double or triple glazing, helps to make the sliding Zero 1 incredibly thermally efficient.
In a flourish of clever glazing design, the window’s mechanical elements are hidden by a special coloured finish printed directly onto the glass. No bulky hardware, frames or distractions – the glass is the focal point. This makes it perfectly situated as a cafeteria door, and thus Zero 1 Lift-and-Slide effectively bridges the gap from outside to in. Thanks to the natural light inlet, it also helps to maximise the well-being and comfort of the 250 clinicians and scientists at Maurice Wohl Neuroscience Institute. The staff are also able to have generous views overlooking the nearby attractive courtyard; of course, the purpose of “full glazing” was not just to allow staff to see out, but also to permit a substantial view in, too.
With the glass boasting a competitive thermal performance,* noise reduction of up to 40dB, class 4 air tightness and E900 water resistance, the Zero 1 window system does more with less – one of the main reasons ES Finestra was chosen for this project.
With Allies and Morrison and PM Devereux acknowledging the particular glass, metal, and concrete aesthetics that make up the building’s façade, the Zero 1 Lift-and-Slide system perfectly complements the Institute’s forward-thinking and design-led space, literally lighting up an intrinsic communal staff area for the benefit of all.
*Ug upto 0.8 W/m²K
Architect’s Allies and Morrison and PM Devereux were widely recognised across the industry for the intelligent design of this building, winning the RIBA National Award, RIBA London Award, and were shortlisted for the AJ100 Building of The Year Competition.
