Adjacent to the river Thames, Morelands Arcade has undergone a complete renovation to bring new life to the Victorian water pumping station. The listed building hosts over 4,000 square meters of floor space which is now sprawling with offices and a brand new laboratory for researchers and scientists.

Morelands was built and designed in the mid 1800’s to cope with the poor water quality at the time in Britain. Following the cholera outbreak the government knew it was essential to filter the drinking water supplied to thousands across the country. Just ten years after construction a second building named Riverdale was built to further assist in the treatment of water.  

A key design choice for glazing for a listed commercial building is to ensure that the original building is not overpowered by the modernized glazing. This is due to many architects wanting to preserve the old style of architecture and paying tribute to how listed buildings were designed and built.

The exterior of the building still carries the original structure from the Victorian water station which gives the building a castle like theme. IQ wanted to ensure that the building had its original character during the renovation. This led to keeping the arches of the building intact and integrating our modern glazing technology into the ancient arches. To accompany this, IQ Projects installed an automatic opening double door system with large grey framing for increased security. Just above the door stands a large structural window with minimal framing to illuminate the entrance/ reception area. For extremely minimal sightlines, the IQ Invisio viewing window above the door consists of three glass panes joined with silicone, this nullifies the need for framing.

Alongside the entrance system, Morelands Arcade has two identical hinged doors with tinted glass that are used as emergency exits and quick access for building staff such as cleaners and warehouse staff. Exceptionally high security standards due to the nature of the interior of the building (high specification laboratory equipment etc) it was of great importance that the doors passed the PAS24 security tests. Vent systems above the doors improve airflow in the building which removes the need to extra window systems which could jeopardize the security of the listed building.

Once completed the building opened and is now used as a state of the art office space and laboratory. Morelands has retained its original charm under the renovation and installation of our bespoke systems. The new life brought to Morelands will ensure that the Grade II listed building will stand the test of time for many years to come while serving a great purpose to the businesses inside.  

At IQ Projects we specialize in commercial projects. If you need glazing for a listed commercial building, or require glazing for any type of project, contact the team today.