The
Charnock Bradley Building is the centrepiece of the University of Edinburgh’s
expanding Easter Bush Campus eight miles south of the city.
The
£32 million building is home to The Roslin Innovation Centre, the business
location of choice for companies undertaking strategic, commercial and
collaborative research in the Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Agri Tech and One
Health industries.
The
building serves as a hub for the campus, providing core facilities including a
gym, and also houses the Easter Bush Science Outreach Centre for engaging the
public with science.
The
designers brief was to create a building that would reflect the cutting-edge
work happening inside, as well as providing a bright and modern space to
attract world-class academics, students and businesses to the institution.
The
heart of the centre is a dramatic full-height glazed atrium which incorporates
a series of bridges at higher levels linking laboratory spaces in the
building’s two distinct wings.
Atkins,
the architects wanted to make the space as bright and open as possible, so
specified a structurally glazed wall and a glass roof, to minimise framing and
provide clear uninterrupted views in and out of the building.
To
achieve this, Atkins worked closely with specialist façade contractor Charles
Henshaw & Son and the Pilkington design team. This resulted in the highly
engineered Pilkington Planar system being used innovatively creating a striking
glass atrium.
Whilst
glass is an extensively used and established construction material, it
continues to evolve and develop in function and form. The ongoing technical
development of glass, is one of the reasons that Pilkington Planar had been
specified by other leading-edge businesses and academic institutions, that wish
to express themselves through their buildings.
The
Pilkington Planar System installed in the atrium combined both strength and
exceptional performance due to the selection of the products utilised in the
system. The insulated glass units supplied on both the walls and roof contained
Pilkington Suncool 66/33 OW on 12mm Pilkington Optiwhite a true low-iron
substrate providing excellent thermal performance, aesthetics and views both
into the building and out to the stunning landscape surrounding the building.
The
transparency and aesthetics of the atrium were further enhanced by the use of
19mm Pilkington Optifloat Clear THS toughened and heat-soaked glass fins to
support the vertical glazing and laminated glass beams. Whilst free from any
framing the wall and roof glazing are exceptionally strong and able to
withstand challenging design loads from high winds or snow fall on the roof.
Additional
features used in the roof glazing is the incorporation of a toughened laminate
inner pane enhancing the structural performance and safety of the glazing and
the use of a screen print dot matrix pattern which improves environmental
performance with limited impact on the quality of light entering the
atrium.
Phil
Savage, Head of Sales, UK Processing at Pilkington United Kingdom Limited said:
“This building is the focal point for the internationally renowned campus,
which is set to continue to grow over the next 20 years. We’re proud that
Pilkington Planar has been selected to play such a central role.
“The
University of Edinburgh is the latest in a series of cutting-edge academic
institutions that have chosen to glaze their buildings using Pilkington Planar,
which is testament to our commitment to offering the most technologically
advanced system on the market.”
