AGC Interpane: 2 Finsbury Ave, London

A new sustainable landmark is emerging here in London

2 Finsbury Avenue is a current construction project in London’s financial district, for which the lead architects at 3XN are aiming for ‘BREEAM Outstanding’ and ‘Net Zero Carbon’ building certifications. The construction and subsequent operation of the building are designed to minimise its carbon footprint through hybrid energy systems, circular economy principles and Focchi’s precision-engineered prefabricated element façade. For the 12-storey connecting podium and the two towers, comprising 38 and 23 storeys respectively, AGC Interpane supplied more than 27,000 square metres of ‘Stopray’ solar control and ‘iplus’ thermal insulation glazing, including many custom triangular and trapezoidal shapes, which are currently being installed. Completion of the building is scheduled for 2027.

As part of the ongoing redevelopment of the Broadgate Campus, ‘2 Finsbury’ is currently emerging as a new, particularly sustainable London landmark – offering more than 100,000 square metres of premium floor space within a circular design. The building has been designed as a vertical campus, featuring numerous communal spaces to encourage communication and networking, whilst providing plenty of natural light and green recreational areas to promote well-being. As Broadgate is London’s largest pedestrianised area, the building will incorporate walkways and blend harmoniously into the bustling surroundings. This is also intended to complement the complex, geometrically striking building envelope, for which façade contractor Focchi has opted for a modular, structurally silicon-sealed element façade with a striking ‘sawtooth’ shape on the podium, east and west towers. It consists of transparent sections featuring high-performance ‘Stopray Vision 52/27’ solar control glazing from AGC Interpane, double-glazed shadow-joint parapet panels and opaque sections clad on the outside with a striking aluminium structure: Partly solid, partly perforated with a gold-sand-coloured finish, they traverse the towers diagonally at varying angles, creating an intriguing 3D geometry. Behind the perforated and gold-coloured elements, Focchi has integrated a ventilation system that extends from the inside when required to supply fresh air. On the ground floor, a ‘stick system’ with thermally insulated glazing is used, allowing a particularly large amount of daylight into the rooms. It was constructed by AGC Interpane using ‘Clearvision’ white glass on both the inside and outside to form laminated safety glass, and coated on layer 5 with particularly colour-neutral ‘iplus’ coatings for excellent thermal insulation. Focchi has also provided the cladding for the amenity areas with a triangular geometry that extends across several floors. Between the east and west towers, a conservatory with a glazed skylight will later be situated on a load-bearing substructure of laminated timber and steel.

All base glass used from the iplus and Stopray ranges has been awarded the ‘Cradle to Cradle’ sustainability certificate in bronze and, as part of the new CO₂-reduced production process at AGC Glass Europe, the parent company of AGC Interpane, is also available as ‘Low Carbon’ variants – with the corresponding EPD.