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| Project: | Royal Observatory, Greenwich |
| Date: | 20th March 2006 |
| Source: | Eastern Daily Press |
High-glass Contract
An
East Anglian glazing specialist is reaching for the stars after being awarded
a prestigious contract to work on the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.
A team from English Architectural Glazing (EAG), of Mildenhall, will create a spectacular mirrored glass structure known as a discoid to reflect light towards the North Star.
The discoid will be a key feature of the new Peter Harrison Planetarium, which is being built as part of the £15m Time and Space project at the 330-year-old observatory, home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian line.
The planetarium will be built in the form of a bronze-clad inclined truncated cone, with the discoid reflecting the sky on the inclined side.
EAG project manager Brian Smith said: “The structure is quite unique and will be constructed from a disc of glass with reflective coating and a coloured interlayer just like a mirror. Although we have done similar sorts of work before with the same substructure, it's taken a lot of careful planning to get it right. It's very exciting to be involved in such an important development for the observatory.”
Although work on the discoid will not begin until September, Mr Smith and his team will start installing roof-lights and glass sliding doors for the foyer of the 120-seat planetarium next month as part of the £210,000 contract awarded to EAG by Gardiner and Theobald Construction Management.
The planetarium is due to open in spring 2007.
Edward Whipp, pre-construction director at EAG, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been chosen to work on such an exciting project at what is one of the most important historical and scientific sites in the world.”
EAG is based on Mildenhall's industrial estate in Chiswick Avenue and employs 110 full-time staff split between its HQ and numerous sites around the UK.
It was among contractors on the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and has been involved in a series of high-profile projects in London, including the new Camden Lock Market, the Roundhouse arts and music venue in Camden, Hans Crescent in Knightsbridge and the Intercontinental Hotel near Hyde Park.
It has also been involved in work on a new children's hospital in Brighton.
EAG, which went through a management buyout last year, has provided the glazing and the entire building 'envelope' of the Riverside Heights apartment block being built next to Norwich City Football Club by Ipswich-based Jackson Construction for Bryant Homes.
The company has also clinched a town centre regeneration deal worth £5m in High Wycombe. It will be working on the town's new bus station as well as the new Marks & Spencer store.
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