One Blackfriars

One Blackfriars is a mixed use development in Southwark, featuring an iconic residential tower, along with resident’s leisure facilities, hotel, restaurants and shops across two smaller buildings, all centred around a new public plaza.

The tower is 50 stories, making it one of the highest residential buildings in Europe. The development was designed by Simpson Haugh Architects, for developer St George, and built by Main Contractor Multiplex, using Yuanda and sub-contractor for the facade.

FMDC were employed by Multiplex to provide post-contract façade consultancy services, reviewing the Yuanda design and visiting site to monitor quality.

The development was completed in 2019, and has a smooth curved form, created using a double skin of glazing, which has a vertical double-glazed façade internally providing the thermal enclosure.

The outer unitised curtain walling employs a mixture of flat, cold-bent and hot-bent glass panels, to deliver the iconic form. Ventilation is provided in the outer skin via vertical banks of glass louvres, which are also used visually to emphasise the form and described as ‘pinstripes’.