Guy’s Tower, at London’s famous Guy’s Hospital, has regained its title as the world’s tallest hospital building following a £40 million repair and environmental improvement programme, and the addition of a light sculpture; the Tower is now 148.65 metres high, including the artwork.
An unmistakeable London landmark since opening to patients 40 years ago, the Tower was officially the world’s tallest hospital building from 1974 until 1990, when the O’Quinn Medical Tower in Houston took the title. Both were then topped by the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital (or Li Shu Piu Building) in 2008 The light sculpture now at the tower’s summit – ‘Carsten Nicolai aeolux’, by German sound and visual artist, Carsten Nicolai, was designed in conjunction with architects, Penoyre & Prasad, and Arup’ structures and lighting specialists, and funded by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity.
First ‘switched on’ on 28 May, and comprising lightweight steel illuminated by LED spotlights, it gives the revamped Tower an instantly recognisable new profile.Guy’s Tower houses Europe’s largest dental hospital, one of the wold’s foremost dental schools – the King’s College London Dental Institute, and a wide range of other clinical, teaching, and research facilities. It needed a complete overhaul after a feasibility study revealedsevere deterioration of the concrete façade, failing windows, and inefficient environmental performance. Main contractor, Balfour Beatty, explained: “The concrete exterior of Guy’s Hospital had suffered from spalling, exposing the steel reinforcement to further corrosion. The most feasible way to secure the hospital’s future, and improve its environmental performance, was to fully refurbish the external façade, with new replacement windows, energy-efficient aluminium cladding, and new roofing.”
In a design by Penoyre & Prasad, and consultant, Arup Façade Engineering, Balfour Beatty completely re-clad the taller service tower, with a zigzag-profiled anodised aluminium system. The new facade both modernised the aesthetic, and provided environmental benefits, with a potential 18% reduction in total energy consumption anticipated. Some 8,000 m2 of aluminium cladding panels have been installed on all elevations of the service tower, and a further 5,300 m2 of glazing units on the user tower. The solar selective glazing minimises solar gain and optimises orientation. Across the site some 34,500 m2 of concrete has been cleaned, and extensive concrete repairs undertaken.
The Guy’s Tower project was managed by Essentia – Guy’s and St Thomas’ in-house infrastructure provider.
