Replacing a taller 1960s’ block, the building brings focus to an important street corner and responds to the irregular geometry of its site.
A new town centre office building
Jersey |
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'Haworth Tompkins made a determined effort to understand precisely what we wanted. They made the effort to continually revise and improve upon the design, not just produce a set of drawings and stand still.'
Andrew Nesbitt,
Property Director,
AXA Equity & Law |
French insurance company AXA commissioned Haworth Tompkins to redevelop this important corner site in the centre of St Helier, which was previously occupied by a six-storey office tower. Designed in 1969 the existing building had become technically outdated, unable to support the sophisticated IT systems required by today's financial services industry. |
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The building dominated a skyline made up of much smaller buildings and broke with the traditional street pattern, leaving the principal corner unresolved. By creating a much lower building, it was possible to relate to the scale of the neighbouring architecture and repair the streetscape. The corner site presented a great opportunity to create a significant landmark by expressing the prominent semicircular stair tower as part of a full height entrance conservatory. |
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The south-facing conservatory provides solar control and the area is highly animated, containing scenic passenger lifts and open galleries overlooking the space which is brought to life by the constant movement of people through it. The top floor is occupied by a glass pavilion and landscaped roof terraces, which offer spectacular views over the city and out to sea. |
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In response to the exposed coastal location we selected natural self-finished materials that do not rely on applied coatings for their durability. Granite, glass, stainless steel, timber and natural anodised aluminium are all materials that are extremely robust and durable. The use of a granite base with light coloured natural aluminium curtain walling above it blends tonally with the traditional stone and stucco of the adjacent buildings and establishes a palette of materials that complements the local architecture. The building has been occupied by the Royal Bank of Scotland since 1998. |
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‘You cannot ignore the reality of leaving your work of art out in the rain by the sea where mild steel touching aluminium will rot in six months. Those technical issues inform the detail, and the separation of those materials is made explicit in the facade.’
Harry Montressor,
cladding consultant |
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LA MOTTE STREET, JERSEY
Client: AXA REIM
Value: £ 4,500,000
Completed: January 1997 |
Exterior:
Jersey granite
Glass
Anodised aluminium
Shot-peened stainless steel
Interior:
Concrete
Jersey granite
Glass
Kwila timber
Yellow fabric blinds
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