Principal Place, London
Foster + Partners
Owner / Developer
Brookfield Developments Europe
Architect
Foster + Partners
Building Function
Mixed-Use, Office, Retail (pavilion)
Status
Completed 10/2017
approx. 38.000 m²
Height
approx. 83 m
Technical Features
- Self Conditioning Facade
- Unitized curtain wall
- Stick system facade
- Rain screen, metal
- Sliding doors, oversized
- Revolving doors
- Frameless structural glazing
- Sunshade elements
- Atrium skylight
We provided
Consultancy
Sound facade decisions start with a clear understanding of the project’s starting point.
- Priedemann organises the available project information, design intent, use, and facade-related technical and external requirements.
- Together with the project participants, objectives, priorities, constraints and unresolved questions are made visible.
- This creates a reliable basis for the next design steps and for decisions before the facade concept is developed in greater detail.
- Priedemann identifies and structures the project information, requirements, objectives and constraints relevant to facade planning.
- These may include design intent, use, technical and energy-related requirements, local conditions, and quality, cost and programme objectives.
- Unresolved questions, dependencies and competing priorities are made explicit and translated into clear decision criteria.
- This creates a reliable basis for early facade design and subsequent planning.
- The subjects reviewed and documented depend on the project stage and agreed scope.
Decision criteria and priorities
- Not every facade requirement has the same priority within a project.
- Design intent, use, technical requirements, local conditions, quality, cost and programme objectives can influence one another.
- Establishing the project basis therefore also means structuring these requirements and making potential conflicts visible.
- The resulting criteria provide a shared basis against which later options and decisions can be assessed consistently.
Early facade design begins once the strategic objectives and principal requirements of a project are sufficiently understood for possible directions to be developed.
- Priedemann translates this basis into options for design, materials and construction, considered alongside technical requirements and project-specific constraints.
- The comparison makes differences and trade-offs visible, and a preferred direction is developed further.
- The purpose is not to complete the technical detailing, but to establish a traceable design basis for subsequent development.
- The criteria, sketches and documentation included depend on the project and agreed appointment.
- Early facade design develops possible design, material and construction directions from the project objectives and requirements.
- Priedemann considers relevant facade types, principle details, interfaces, and technical and operational requirements.
- Options are described clearly and compared against agreed criteria.
- This allows architectural intent, technical viability and project-specific implications to be assessed together.
- The outcome is a robust design direction that provides a basis for subsequent system development and technical design.
Facade specifications and tender documentation translate developed facade design into clear technical requirements for tendering and bid comparison.
- Priedemann structures information on construction, materials, details, interfaces and quality criteria and brings the relevant design documents together.
- Depending on the project, this can include technical preliminaries, specifications, quantity information or trade boundaries.
- The scope and function of the documents depend on the procurement and responsibility model.
- Priedemann translates the agreed facade design into technical specifications and tender documentation.
- Requirements, quality criteria, materials, components, interfaces and required evidence are structured and described clearly.
- Depending on the appointment, quantities, component schedules and other technical appendices may be included.
- The documents provide a consistent technical basis for bids and the subsequent award process.
- The scope and responsibility for the complete tender package are agreed with the client.
During technical tender evaluation, Priedemann compares submitted facade bids with the previously defined requirements and tender documents.
- The review can cover technical content, qualification evidence, bidder alternatives, proposed systems and identifiable deviations.
- Unresolved points are structured for tender interviews and the findings are documented clearly.
- Price-related or commercial assessment is included only where it is expressly part of the appointment.
- During technical tender evaluation, Priedemann compares facade bids with the defined requirements and tender documentation.
- The review may consider technical completeness, qualifications, proposed systems and materials, bidder alternatives, and identifiable deviations or risks.
- Findings are documented clearly and can provide technical support during tender interviews.
- Price comparison, commercial review and the final award decision form part of the service only where expressly agreed.
After a facade manufacturer is appointed, Priedemann reviews its shop drawings, system planning and technical submittals against the agreed design basis.
- This includes comparison with project changes, assessment of structural assumptions and energy/acoustic performance values, and review of technical data sheets for materials and components.
- Priedemann comments on discrepancies and coordinates change management as the facade contact point for the planning team.
- Priedemann reviews the contractor’s shop-drawing information against the agreed requirements and released design basis.
- Depending on the appointment, the review covers system components, details, interfaces, technical assumptions, materials and relevant performance data.
- Deviations and unresolved questions are documented and coordinated with the design team.
- In this way, the review supports technical quality assurance and makes required decisions visible early.
Priedemann supports the execution of facade mock-ups during the planning phase, ahead of the usual appointment of a facade manufacturer. For physical mock-ups, Priedemann helps prepare tests, takes part in testing and reviews test reports. For visual mock-ups, Priedemann supports comparison with design requirements. The aim is greater planning and execution confidence at an earlier project stage.
- Priedemann supports the execution and assessment of visual or technical facade mock-ups.
- The service may include coordinating requirements, attending tests, checking agreed standards and reviewing test reports.
- For visual mock-ups, the primary focus is comparison with the design requirements.
- Observations and potential improvements are documented.
- Fabrication, test execution and formal approval remain with the appointed parties unless otherwise agreed.
The supervision of assembly and installation is particularly important for us, to ensure the agreed quality. Our principle is that deviations from the agreed planning must be identified at an early stage, documented and the implementation corrected. This controlling refers both to production and manufacturing as well as to the assembly on the building site:
Regular inspection of production and assembly in the factory- Verification of compliance with the approved design, ensuring compliance with the agreed qualities, standards and test series
- Regular reporting on production progress; the reports contain recommendations for possible improvements as well as a list of unfulfilled services, performance arrears, defects identified
- Verification of compliance with the approved design, ensuring compliance with the agreed qualities, standards and test series
- Inspection of examples of facade sections as reference values for determining the quality of workmanship – benchmark inspections
- Involvement in performance tests on the facade on the building site (water impermeability, sound insulation, blower door test, etc.)
- Random inspection of the installation work on the building site
- Regular reporting on the installation work including the identification of discrepancies with the original planning
Priedemann supports the transition of the completed facade to handover: taking part in the acceptance walk-through, documenting the final inspection with observations and recommendations, compiling as-built, operating and maintenance documentation, and checking that documentation for completeness.
- The aim is a traceable handover basis for the client, architects and project management.
- The formal acceptance decision remains with the responsible project party.
- Priedemann supports the handover of a completed facade and the compilation of as-built and operating documentation.
- Depending on the appointment, this includes attending the handover walk-through, documenting observations, and checking available construction drawings, calculations, operating information and maintenance manuals for completeness.
- The result is an organised information package for operation and maintenance.
- Formal acceptance and responsibility for the accuracy of contractor documentation remain with the contractually responsible parties.
Memberships
