London South Bank University

The £29 million glass and steel Keyworth II building will form the heart of the London South Bank University (LSBU) campus, providing a hub for activities and bringing life to the surrounding streets. Designed by renowned contemporary architect Nicholas Grimshaw, Keyworth II will house state-of-the-art teaching facilities for the Faculty of Health and Social Care and the departments of Education and Sports and Exercise Science.

The Pilkington Planar™ system played an important role in the aesthetics and functionality of the building providing two highly engineered glass walls.

Pilkington Planar™ Specification

Insulating Glass Units  (IGUs):

These were custom IGUs utilising laminated glass in both panes of the double glazed construction at the request of Grimshaw (architect) who were keen to use laminated glass on all elements of the structural glass façade. These units were designed by Pilkington Architectural as part of the project and had never previously been supplied for a vertical façade.

• 6mm Heat Strengthened Pilkington Optifloat™ Grey – 1.52mm interlayer – 10mm Toughened Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear / 16mm Airspace / 6mm Heat Strengthened Pilkington K Glass™ – 1.52mm interlayer – 6mm Heat Strengthened Pilkington Optifloat™  Clear

Fins :

The lower fins are sat on the ground and the upper fins are suspended from the top beam of the building. There is 40mm wide movement joint running across the façade where the 2 sets of fins meet. At this interface a 30mm thick 14m long steel blade also runs across the façade and between the fins to take the wind load back to the walls. If the façade had not been designed in this manner then the glass fins would have been considerably deeper to span a full height of 19m and this would have denied the double sided atrium of valuable floor space.

The glass fins supplied by Pilkington utilise the DuPont™ SentryGlas® interlayer technology required to comply with the design challenges of the façade.

• Lower: 15mm Toughened Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear /1.52mm interlayer/ 15mm Toughened Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear.
• Upper: 12mm Toughened Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear /1.52mm interlayer/ 12mm Toughened Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear .

Fittings : Specially designed Pilkington Planar™ 905 bolts (external stainless steel caps) and stainless steel vertical strap splice.

Automatic operable smoke vents run across the top of the façade.

Grimshaw
57 Clerkenwell Road
EC1M 5NG

Tel: 0201 291 4141
Fax: 0201 291 4194