Architectural Glass | Nova Victoria, London
The Challenge
A giant £2.2bn development combining residential and commercial, Nova Victoria was always going to be a star project. But on a space hemmed in by a railway station, a tube station and a super sewer, it needed some special solutions to make it shine.
The masterplan for three new commercial buildings with retail space was to regenerate the island site to the north of Victoria Station and to contribute to the transformation of one of the capital’s most important gateways, encouraging the 115 million people who use the station each year to engage with this part of the West End.
The Solution
The development contains a sustainable balance of uses, including offices, retail, apartments – both market and affordable, and a community space / library, along with extensive new public realm.
Designed by PLP Architects, the mixed-use scheme delivers 603,000 square feet of Grade A offices attracting world class corporations to Victoria. Furthermore, the development provides 193,000 square feet of contemporary high quality apartments and 85,000 square feet of restaurants, bars and retail.
The facade was enhanced with red colored glass in angular sections. Contra Vision® XR Ceramic™ red dots were used to color the glass and achieve a one-way vision effect. From inside the dots are colored black which allows the best possible see-through.
Traditional methods of manufacturing colored glass result in a product which distorts the see-through experience for people inside buildings. This is acceptable in some situations but in working and living environments it can adversely impact on people’s well-being.
Many modern buildings have a fritted glass facade which is printed with white ceramic frit dots. The dots allow see-through from inside but the view appears milky and gray. With Contra Vision one-way glass products the experience is significantly improved!
The secret of Contra Vision is being able to print a second layer of dots in “exact registration” over a first layer without any discernible overlap. This means the white or colored dots are hidden from view on the inside by a black covering, which is much less noticeable to the eye. The black dots absorb rather than reflect light and are dominated by the view through the window.
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