GMB UNION REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS, CARDIFF HOLDER MATHIAS ARCHITECTS

摘要

The project involved the comprehensive refurbishment of the existing GMB Union headquarters in Cardiff. The original building was opened in 1958 and extended in the 1980s. The design sought to provide an environmentally comfortable new regional headquarters that would project a contemporary, yet timeless, image. A stone rainscreen overcladding was employed to significantly improve thermal performance, increase depth of reveal for solar protection, and improve the general appearance. The stone provided the opportunity to completely refashion the building, enabling the entire structure to be united as a single reproportioned architectural composition to provide an expression of heritage and longevity. This also provided a chance to increase the building's apparent scale in the streetscape and, by bringing out the top storey flush with the two-storey block below, additional area was added to the plan, as well as depth to the facade.