Chapter 3: Cover Story
Behind the facade

A closer look at the engineering behind the facade of London College of Communication

Last year’s Tall Buildings Award for Best Façade Engineering Project went to London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. Here we take an in-depth look at the façade’s design, engineering, manufacture and installation. What makes it such a standout project?

Elephant and Castle in the London Borough of Southwark – once known as ‘the Piccadilly of the South’ – is currently undergoing major redevelopment to create a diverse new town centre.

Led by Get Living, which is delivering the wider masterplan as the project’s developer, the transformation will introduce new housing, restaurants, shops, offices, leisure amenities and improved transport infrastructure. At its heart will sit a new university campus, with Multiplex appointed as the main contractor, forming a key part of this significant regeneration for the area.

Respecting the past; shaping the future

Elephant and Castle has been home to London College of Communication, University of the Arts London (UAL) for over 60 years. From September 2027, the college’s 5000 students and 500 staff will have a new cutting-edge building, providing an inspirational, flexible environment for teaching, along with conference facilities, a Student Union and an archive. The building will also act as a creative hub for the whole community, welcoming local people to exhibitions and end-of-year shows.

London College of Communication seeks to transform the world through creative communication, and it needed a building to match. Architect Allies & Morrison’s facade design pays homage to the college’s printing tradition, drawing inspiration for its horizontal and vertical masonry grid from the wooden cases that were historically used to store printers’ letterpress type.

Materials and sustainability

Having been appointed to create the bespoke envelope for the new 12-storey building, international facade specialist Permasteelisa Group invested heavily in the pre-construction stage to ensure that the final building would exceed the client’s brief.

A particular focus was the glass reinforced concrete (GRC) specified for the horizontal and vertical projections that form the building’s structure. Permasteelisa Group’s engineering team in Italy carried out in-depth research to ensure the final material met requirements for shaping, colour and maintenance. The GRC provides excellent shading and its textured surface helps to disrupt airflow, mitigating wind noise and reducing tonal noise. To further enhance sound insulation, a complex system of gaskets was introduced around vents, and damping materials were integrated beneath fixings to minimise structural vibrations.

Aesthetically, the GRC grid fulfils the architect’s intention, with its black-patterned texture evoking the cases used to store letterpress type. Functionally, it is durable, recyclable and lightweight, with a low

carbon footprint compared to many more traditional facade materials. As such, it makes an important contribution to the sustainability of the facade’s design and engineering – the building is targeting BREEAM ‘Excellent’ for its shell and core.

A key part of this is the prioritisation of natural ventilation. The internal environment is controlled using an integrated Building Management System (BMS), which manages cross-ventilation throughout the building. As well as adding visual interest, aluminium reveal

profiles alongside the GRC projections facilitate natural ventilation. Motorised vents on the cladding at each level open when the building needs to cool and expel hot air through the central void up towards electric actuated vents on the roof skylight. This improves air passage in the building, minimising the need for air conditioning, improving the environment for occupants, and increasing the overall sustainability of the facade.

High-performance double glazing enhances energy efficiency and acoustics, while maintaining transparency, maximising daylight and increasing occupants’ visual connection with the outside world. The facade units feature thickened and/or laminated panes – acoustic polyvinyl butyral (PVB) and solar coating help to meet stringent requirements. The lower module of each bay is glazed at full height, allowing mitigation of the vertical flanking noise transmission and enabled by top transom detailing, developed through specialist research and testing.

Testing times

Permasteelisa Group’s engineers used the company’s specialist testing facilities in Italy to ensure stringent performance targets were met.

Architect Allies & Morrison’s facade design pays homage to the college’s printing tradition."

Physical testing included the construction of a full-scale performance mock-up to provide evidence of the facade’s airtightness and weather resistance, including real-world simulation of environmental conditions to verify the effectiveness of seals, joints and the overall system design. Engineers also carried out full-scale sound insulation testing, evaluating the prototype’s airborne sound insulation and vertical flanking noise transmission. Advanced software tools were used to calculate solar gain and thermal transmittance. This evidence of the facade’s acoustic and thermal performance ensured compliance with energy-efficiency requirements.

Finally, a glass thermal stress analysis was conducted to assess and mitigate the potential for thermally-induced glass breakage.

Manufacturing and installation

A unique production line was set up at Permasteelisa Group’s manufacturing facility in Italy and, in total, 15,700sqm of unitised facade panels were produced for the project. To save time, the GRC projection elements were integrated into the unitised panels rather than being fitted separately. Materials were

sourced from around Europe to find the best possible supply chain from both sustainability and budgetary perspectives.

The panels were then packaged ready for safe, efficient installation, and loaded to minimise shipments from the factory to the London construction site. This helped to avoid site congestion and reduced the facade’s embodied carbon impact.

On site, the year-long installation was characterised by exceptional collaboration between Permasteelisa Group’s installation experts and the main contractor, Multiplex. Facade installation was completed in November 2024 – safely, on time and on budget.

End-to-end excellence

The award-winning facade at London College of Communication is the product of a holistic approach to facade design, engineering, manufacturing, installation and on through to aftercare – the building includes integrated maintenance units, rails and anchor points for ease of cleaning and maintenance in the future.

The final cladding is strong, durable, sustainable and aesthetically pleasing. Over a year ahead of its planned opening, its striking exterior is already making an impact on the street in Elephant and Castle, while its light, comfortable environment is set to inspire a new generation of creative thinkers.

www.permasteelisagroup.com