OPTIMA ADDS FINISHING TOUCHES TO INVESTMENT BANK’S LONDON HQ

Nomura is one of the world’s leading global investment banks and as such the new European headquarters at One Angel Lane needed to reflect the company’s commercial pedigree. Aesthetics and acoustic performance were important elements of the design brief. In order to fully meet the requirements, TTSP, who were the space planners, Design Team Leader, Architects and Interior Designers for the fit-out, chose to specify a range of products from Optima; leaders in the design and manufacture of partitioning systems.

Optima’s ‘117’ single glazed partitions and ‘97’ advanced system drywall were installed in the general office areas, whilst Optima’s Revolution mullion-free double glazed system was selected for the Pod and executive areas. Used as dividing walls to create offices, meeting rooms and corridors, the glazed partitioning systems offered a frameless appearance that created the illusion of large areas of unsupported glass, due to the minimal framing and jointing details.

In addition to creating stylish and transparent office spaces, Optima’s partitioning systems offer a high level of acoustic integrity. The single and double glazed systems at Nomura were used to meet varying levels of sound isolation.

Revolution 97 provides an excellent acoustic rating whilst maintaining a visually striking appearance, with discreet, clear, NebulaTM dry joints between the glass panels. This system offered the perfect solution for Nomura’s executive offices, allowing important client meetings to take place in complete privacy, and was also used in the Pod building, where the ceiling height increased to over 3 metres. Here, the Revolution transom section was introduced, with double glazing continuing above the line of the transom. This maximised light penetration and maintained a sense of space, thereby eliminating the need for a bulkhead to be introduced.

The Revolution system was also used to create ‘Chinese Screens’ – impressive partial height double glazed dividing screens to the second floor area of the main building.

Optima’s 117 single glazed partitioning system was used to equally stunning effect, providing a sense of vast open space in the building’s general office area and meeting rooms. The use of NebulaTM dry joints, coupled with the minimal base detail, created clean lines and a frameless appearance, whilst still offering an impressive acoustic performance.

Being a new building, the potential for vertical movement of the slab was high and the specification called for +/-35mm deflection. Optima were happy to extrude a new deflection head to meet this requirement and to further enhance Optima’s existing range of deflection heads. The aluminium framing to the single and double glazing was satin anodised to perfectly complement the base build mullions.

The Optima 97 drywall system – the most advanced drywall system on the market – was used to provide solid cross walls between offices and meeting rooms, where a high level of acoustic separation was critical. Plywood was introduced between studs to allow for the fixing of furniture and plasma screens within the offices. Used in conjunction with both Optima 117 and Revolution, the Optima 97 drywall system ensured that perfectly true, distortion-free solid walls were created – ideal for the flawless finish that the project required.

In certain instances the line of the partitions did not fall upon an external mullion and in order to avoid a ‘dog leg’ detail, Optima manufactured and fitted SAA mullions which were an exact replica of the base build mullions.

All of the office and meeting room entrances were completed with the installation of flush timber door sets, which maintained the high level of acoustic performance throughout the building. European oak was the specified veneer in the general office areas, whilst teak veneered doors were installed to distinguish the executive areas.

One Angel Lane is undoubtedly one of the City of London’s most exciting recent developments. It is the largest single-let fit-out in this country within the last 15 years and has won a number of prestigious awards including New City Architecture Award 2010 – demonstrating the huge design effort achieved by TTSP. Working closely with TTSP and providing only the highest standards in visual and acoustic performance, Optima delivered a partitioning solution that is befitting of such an illustrious project.