By the end of this year, the development of the flagship One Blackfriars in central London will be completed. The development includes a 52-story tower with a maximum height of 170 meters and two small buildings with six and four floors respectively. It includes residential units, hotels and retail units, as well as public spaces.
St. George, the UK's leading real estate developer, commissioned Norco Holdings, a GFRP composite structure and mold maker, to build three unique 14-meter-long canopies that were installed on the building.
The project required Norco to create a canopy that would look like polished metal while being lightweight and strong enough to withstand harsh environmental conditions. These canopies are made from Scott Bader's Crystic® resin VE679-03 PA for the manufacture of fiberglass composite laminates with closed cell foam cores to provide sufficient sheet stiffness over large hollow wing shapes. Composite panels are produced using a resin infusion process to provide high quality and void free laminates. Norco has carefully improved the staged infusion method, which is specifically designed to create metal coated areas to prevent the composite from "printing" onto the outer surface.
The installation of the canopy presents a special challenge to the team. A suitable lifting point is required to move the canopy to the site, but not to conform to the smooth polished appearance of the structure, so once the canopy is installed, an innovative solution is created to remove them.
In addition to making canopies, Norco was involved in the early stages of the project. This includes the design and engineering of direct molds, as well as all CAD design and modeling of canopies, as well as managing all FEA analyses to ensure that the canopies are structurally sound.
Mark Northey, Managing Director of Norco Holdings, said: “This project is very challenging and the products that satisfy the customer's satisfaction can be successfully completed, which proves the skills and expertise of the entire team.” “This innovative composite structure truly stands out. The adaptability of composite materials, I am very pleased that we can also demonstrate our capabilities and expertise in this field."
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