Grainhouse makes the AJ Retrofit Award Shortlist

Architects’ Journal is the UK’s leading professional architecture magazine, and their AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards highlight the latest and greatest architectural renewals of existing buildings. There’s a keen focus on the environment, but also the minimalistic use of building materials in response to changing requirements.

This year there are fourteen brand new categories, three of which will be brought to life for a live audience and judged on stage at the AJ Retrofit 2024 Live conference. Constantly striving for higher standards of excellence when it comes to glazing solutions, IQ Projects is delighted to make the AJ retrofit award shortlist this year.

V&A Photography Centre – Fit-Out (£2 million and over) Award

The V&A Photography Centre is an intellectually nutritious building in form and substance, with its double height library housing the largest dedicated photography collection in the UK. An extensive ‘Future Plan’ was commissioned to upgrade its facilities with a sympathetic nod to the historic charm of its original structure. 

Architects enlisted IQ Projects to design and install fire–rated doors with bespoke fittings and handles. Some procedural wiggle-room was required. IQ’s Mondrian systems stipulate black frames for fire rating standards, but our in-house design team made an official alteration to accommodate the white and gold theme that V&A specified.

Standard fire–rated systems often keep handles consistent throughout installations to guarantee accordance with testing. Further challenges were therefore posed by V&A’s desire for bespoke handles. Product experts solved this by bonding a lighter handle (>5kg) to the door, a novel fire rated system tailored specially for this exciting museum.

A strong field of candidates was presented for the AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards’ Fit-Out (£2 million and over) category, which spotlights projects reworking and refreshing interior spaces. We are thrilled to announce that the V&A Photography Centre won.

Grainhouse – Saved from Demolition Award

Originally a Victorian seed house, Grainhouse is a beautiful building in London’s Covent Garden saved from demolition by Barr Gazetas Architects. IQ Projects was commissioned to design and supply a substantial bespoke glazing package, to maximise natural light through this aspect of its fit-out. It went on to make the AJ Retrofit Award shortlist.

More than 90,000 square feet, it required careful planning. The sills and frames were given meticulous attention so that they would interlace seamlessly with the surrounding structures and finishes. From concept to creation, we performed frequent scanning surveys for each bespoke glazing detail.

Tackling an onslaught of logistical challenges, our technical team spent plenty of time at the drawing board. Having resolved issues by devising newfound structural Invisio glass solutions, we’re especially satisfied to see this project win the ‘Saved from Demolition’ category of AJ Retrofit Awards 2024!

Have you got a commercial project in the works, and need industry leading architectural glazing? Give us a call now on +44 1494 722 880, or send us the drawings here!