The Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced the official opening of a new commercial office and retail building situated adjacent to the mid 19th century rail station. Dubbed as ‘The Peak’, the 11,280 sq m structure designed by Sheppard Robson has been build keeping in mind the architecture and charm of surrounding buildings. Designed for Heron International, the building located right next to Victoria Station has been developed by giving special attention to sustainability factor.
The Peak consisting of 10,400m² of office accommodation over nine storeys, with 1,780m² of retail at street level incorporates two elevations that include spandrels with elaborately designed glass solar shading louvres in-between along with robust limestone-clad columns. The function of the louvres to act as solar shading and the remainder of the facade design has been designed to balance the requirements of natural day lighting and solar gain control. The building’s south facade embraces photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors that provide green energy, while two boreholes are used to supply water to a heat pump based air conditioning system. This aesthetically alluring structure is presently occupied by international banking firm HBOS.
