Elephant House, built in 1890-1901, was a bottle store for Camden Brewery which was in the adjacent building until 1925.
Due to the special architectural interest of the Elephant House, this Victorian Building was granted Grade II Listing in 2009. It is a rare example of an industrial complex found in inner-city London as well as being sited alongside the city’s early Regent’s Canal.
In 2013 Hawkins\Brown was commissioned to draw up plans to change the use of the building to accommodate offices. In such an old building, with the addition of the heritage Listing, the project needed to be carefully considered.
The original single glazed windows, which could not be replaced presented a problem as they were draughty and did little to combat noise from the busy roads outside. Technical advice was sought from Selectaglaze to help work out a solution using bespoke designed Secondary Glazing.
A total of 8 windows were treated with two different styles of openings from their heritage range, which is readily accepted by English Heritage for use in Listed Buildings. A single hinged panel with a curved head was used in most of the openings, which mimics the original and allows access to the primary window. The discreet frames created a flawless look and achieved the desired benefits, without compromising the beauty of the original Victorian windows.
Lift-outs had to be used in two of the areas due to a lower ceiling level, which caused an obstruction when the window furniture was mounted. Blinds were cited at the top of the window just cutting access to the arched head. Therefore, the hinged casement would not have been able to open, so the use of a lift-out provided the benefits required from the secondary and also meant the primary window could be accessed for cleaning.
Established in 1966 and granted the Royal Warrant in 2004 Selectaglaze are the secondary glazing specialists.
For further information, please contact the Marketing Department on 01727 837271; email enquiries@selectaglaze.co.uk or visit the website at: www.selectaglaze.co.uk
