China Shipping House building, Port of Felixstowe, Suffolk, England
Source: "The new head office building for China Shipping UK is located on the Port of Felixstowe’s spine road, an area characterised by low-level buildings and the cranes and containers of the working docks, writes Colwyn Foulkes & Partners. In creating a landmark building for this setting the design team was strongly influenced by the maritime history of the location and the specific needs of the client. The L-shaped building comprises two wings of different sizes linked by a circular ‘drum’ on the external corner or the L. This contains the entrance foyer atrium, meeting rooms, directors’ offices and the boardroom. While the rear elevations are clad in pre-patinated copper, the facades at the front are fully glazed, with a western red cedar brise soleil. At three storeys high, the new building is considerably taller than anything in the vicinity. As such, there is no solar shading to be gained from nearby buildings. There is also very little shelter from the elements on what is a fairly exposed, North Sea-facing site. The brise soleil therefore offers a practical solution, allowing the building’s occupiers to enjoy views over the port, while also reducing solar gain and offering some protection from the elements. Western red cedar was chosen for its natural appearance, its ability to withstand the elements and in reference to the building’s nautical theme. The brise soleil consists of both vertical and horizontal timber fins, and supporting columns supplied by Levolux. Horizontally stacked louvres, measuring 300mm long and 500mm wide, are mounted on the southern and eastern elevations at equidistant lengths and fixed in place with aluminium side plates. The design also features ten, mast-like tapered western red cedar columns, each ten metres high. These provide extra loadbearing strength on these two facades, as well as support for the brise soleil and roof."
Size: 4089px × 2823px
Location: Suffolk, England
Photo credit: © geogphotos / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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