How United Anodisers helped save one of London’s most important landmarks

The Tower Wing of Guy’s Hospital, London, was the tallest hospital building in the world on completion in 1974, standing at over 140 metres and 34 storeys tall. The building served London well for decades, but a full refurbishment was undertaken in 2013 to address serious structural problems that threatened the tower’s future.

A façade which had become dangerous to the public

The lightweight concrete originally chosen for the building in the 1960s was beginning to spall and had become a threat to passersby on the pavements below. The windows were also failing and would need to be replaced.

These issues combined to cause a deterioration in the building’s thermal, environmental and aesthetic performance. The seriousness of the problem meant that a temporary patch-and-mend job was not good enough. The building’s location ensured a full demolition and reconstruction was infeasible.

A full redevelopment led by architects Penoyre & Prasad focussed on a new anodised aluminium rainscreen façade to redefine the tower’s profile and protect the building’s structure going forward.

Helping to save a true London landmark – today and for the future

Once the underlying concrete structure was addressed, a façade of folded and flat aluminium panels was installed. Key to the system was the anodised aluminium finish provided by United Anodisers.

Our Anolok® II Blue-Grey B715 and Anolok® Bronze Pale Umber 541 finishes were chosen for the façade to update and accentuate the visual form of Guy’s Hospital Tower and bring a renewed vibrancy to the city’s skyline.

They also delivered a range of practical benefits that were desperately needed at Guy’s Hospital Tower, including:

• Exceptional resilience against inner London pollution and weather exposure
• Colour stability in all conditions, for decades
• Energy efficiency gains as part of the overall aluminium cladding system
• A1 fire rating, the highest level of fire safety. Especially important for a hospital building.
• Cost-effectiveness

Those features contributed to improved thermal performance, lower running costs and a superior visual aesthetic for the Tower for decades to come – solving the building’s problems for the long term.

Want to see our anodised aluminium finishes for hospital buildings in person? Contact the team and request a free sample today!

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