New Building for Metropolitan Works Designed by Cartwright Pickard

New Building for Metropolitan Works Designed by Cartwright Pickard

London's first Creative Industries Centre, Metropolitan Works, will open a stunning new £4.5 million building designed by Cartwright Pickard Architects in February 2009.

Situated in the East End of London, the Centre will house £2 million worth of state of the art rapid prototyping and digital manufacturing equipment for use by architects, designers and other businesses.

"The new Centre is extraordinary in both its design and purpose," said Matthew Lewis, Manager of Metropolitan Works. "It is the only industrial resource in the middle of London, combining a bureau service, CAD training, and superb Pay and Go project workspace. Metropolitan Works is ultimately modern, understanding the light, flexible, and multidisciplinary working practices of contemporary architecture and design companies. It is the place for realising ideas."

The building was conceived as a simple metal box to echo some of the materials used in the Centre and its semi-industrial nature. Built using modern methods of construction, with three of the four storeys manufactured off site, perforated aluminium panels envelope the building to dramatic effect. On the ground floor level, a specially commissioned frieze designed by Tom Price, has been laser cut out of the panels to give the structure a sense of movement and life.

New Building for Metropolitan Works

The centre incorporates a number of sustainability features, which have contributed to achieving a BREEAM rating of "very good". A green sedum roof provides high levels of insulation, minimises rainwater run-off and offers ecological benefits. Rainwater is harvested for toilet flushing and a roof-mounted solar panel contributes to the hot water provision.

"We believe the finished building successfully reflects this world-class Centre of excellence for design and production - and it demonstrates how good, imaginative design can be combined with innovative methods of construction," commented James Pickard, Director of Cartwright Pickard Architects.

"In addition to the benefit of speed, off-site construction helps to improve the quality of finish and the thermal performance of the building because it is manufactured in a factory environment. This was also a very constrained site with little storage and handling space for materials, which lent itself to the modular building method."

Facilities in the new 1,100sqm centre include a double height machine hall to accommodate London's largest 5 axis CNC router and 5 axis water-jet cutter, available as a bureau service. There will also be Pay and Go traditional workshops and (commercially licensed) CAD offices. A CAD training suite, refectory and conference room are located on the second floor, with open plan office accommodation for staff and research fellows on the top floor.

The opening of the building will mark the completion of a three year capital project, providing a truly comprehensive range of digital manufacturing and Rapid Prototyping equipment. In addition to the 5 Axis Router and Water Cutter, Metropolitan Works offers 3D printing, SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) in nylon, DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) in stainless steel and nickel alloy and Perfactory rapid prototyping in castable resin and three different 3D scanning technologies.

Cartwright Pickard Architects

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