Old Meets New With Crittall

The Granary in Barking is a stunningly imaginative architectural combination of old and new, and to help with the overall visual impact, Crittall windows have been installed extensively throughout the whole development.

Work to restore the Granary on Abbey Road in Barking began as the first phase of a wider regeneration programme with the Granary and neighbouring Malthouse at the heart of a new quarter for Cultural Industries. The restoration work was undertaken by the Rooff Group, who acted as both developer and principle contractor, and involved the total refurbishment of the building and the design and construction of a new contemporary extension. The building is now the new headquarters of Rooff Ltd as well as providing additional space for other building users. The original concept design was by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, with detailed design by PTE Architects.

The traditional brick facade of the Granary led the architects to specify Crittall W20 profiles, in a design involving multipane horizontal pivot windows with fixed lights. These were suggested to complement the character of the original building. The profiles offer extremely narrow sightlines, minimising appearance whilst providing the required thermal, acoustic and energy efficient performance.

For the new extension, inward opening side hung Corporate 2000 windows were suggested, together with Corporate 2000 doors, which act as a perfect complement to the striking and unusual bronze clad exterior. The slim, elegant rigidity of the steel provides minimum coupling, with no obtrusive transoms or mullions, and is a favourite option for use with curtain walling, as it does not detract from the impact of the facade.

The aim of the design was to preserve the ‘ gritty ‘ character of the site, utilising the appearance of the existing brickwork and enhancing it with harmonising fenestration. The new buildings are of varying heights and scales and the variety of sizes of window profiles correspond to this design, reflecting the urban context and the landscape.

A spokesman from Rooff commented “The existing windows that were replaced on the Granary were also steel, so the Crittall profiles fitted perfectly in context but with updated performance. Using the company’s windows in the new extension shows the versatility of the steel window product range and the ability of the Crittall profiles to blend into any environment.”