London is known for its famous landmarks, including Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly Circus. A city filled with fascinating architecture; our great capital is famous across the world for its iconic buildings that boast some of the most charming facades seen anywhere in the world.
Complex Concrete Facade at Welbeck Street Car Park
The NCP Car Park London Welbeck Street is situated moments away from the famous University of Westminster. But besides being located in the heart of the city and having easy accessibility from any part of London, its fascinating facade is another reason why passers-by can’t help but notice this unusually stunning multi-story car park.
The facade of this one-of-a-kind structure is made using tessellated concrete polygons. What makes it architecturally notable is the fact that instead of tiles, the facade flaunts several concrete pieces shaped like diamonds. These 3-dimensional pieces are assembled together to form the cladding, which is responsible for making this car park a must-visit spot for tourists.
Concrete Facade of the NCP Car Park London Welbeck Street (Credit: Wikipedia)
Heritage Stone Facade at Jewel Tower
The Jewel Tower, also known as the King’s Jewels and the Jewel House, is a stone-built tower that has stood the test of time for 650 years. It was built in 1365 by Edward III and was referred to as King’s Privy Wardrobe or Jewel House.
There are many reasons why the Jewel Tower is listed as an English Heritage site, one of which is its all-stone facade that has weathered every element for centuries and still hasn’t lost its charm. This 14-century architectural-styled facade is made of Kentish ragstone and has never demanded any replacement.
In addition, the southern and western sides of the Jewel Tower are secured by “battered ashlar walls,” which surround the remains of a medieval moat.
Stone Facade of the Jewel Tower London (Credit: Tripadvisor)
Sivill House’s Distinctive Symmetrical Facade
Sivill House is a Grade II listed building in the City of London, built between 1963 and 1966 by Richard Seifert & Partners. It garnered notoriety just a couple of years ago when the residents came together to save the building from unsympathetic alterations, which they believed were damaging to its reputation.
The distinctive symmetry of the Sivill House can be spotted from a mile. With congruous shapes perfectly aligned on the front, the facade is what gives this building much of its uniform balance.
Not much is known about the facade despite it being one of the most visually incredible London has to offer, but it was designed by Berthold Lubetkin himself, a Georgian-British architect who is revered as one of the most important figures in British modernism.
Distinctive Symmetry on the Sivill House Facade (Credit: Wikipedia)
Unique Concrete Facade at The Yardhouse
The Yardhouse was supposed to be an affordable creative workspace for collaboration for businesses, artists, freelancers, and more. It was constructed in 2014 for less than £80,000 and the spaces were already oversubscribed by the time the construction was completed.
The Yardhouse has a very unique design, and its exterior is most notable. The large concrete facade wraps around the building from the ground floor up to the third floor. The colourful concrete tiles form an interesting contrast between light and dark pastel tones on this part of the building. It was handmade on site and “only accounts for 5% of the build cost,” but it is what gives the Yardhouse much of its fame.
Unique Facade Design on the Yarhouse Building London (Credit: Assemble Studio)
The Shard’s Towering Glass Facade
The Shard is the tallest building in Britain and the third tallest in Europe, with a height of 1,016 feet. It was designed by Renzo Piano, an Italian architect, who is also known for the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
After 3 years of construction and meticulous detailing, The Shard was completed in July 2012 and finally opened in February 2013 for the rest of the world to admire. Located on London Bridge Street, just a short walk from the world-famous bridge, The Shard has been described as one of the only few structures in Britain to have dominated the architectural debate.
Many of the building’s opponents said that it stabbed London in the heart and destroyed the scale of the city. Debate or not, The Shard’s facade is one of the most well-thought-out in London’s real estate market today. Besides being recycled for the most part, the 11,000 triple-glazed glass façade units automatically respond to the different levels of light. The ultra-reflective skin also reduces heat build-up, not only giving the people inside a pleasant ambience but also significantly reducing the building’s carbon footprint by limiting the need for HVAC systems.
The Shard’s Huge Glass Facade Towering Over London (Credit: Unsplash)
Facade restoration and maintenance
What makes these building facades incredible isn’t just the fact that they were designed and executed well, but also that they are maintained properly so that their beauty can be enjoyed by every visitor – irrespective of what time of the year it is. And that’s exactly what See Brilliance helps commercial building owners do!
See Brilliance provides restorative cleaning, commercial facade cleaning and cladding restoration services across the UK, for all kinds and commercial properties. With 30 years of experience in facade maintenance, our team has the expertise and resources to work with just about any surface. No matter what your issue is, we can help you make your building facade as good as new. Contact us to get started!
Professional facade restoration services
We provide a wide range of facade cleaning and restoration services including commercial façade restoration, stone façade restoration, glass façade restoration, TORC Cleaning, graffiti removal, and much more, across the UK.
If you’d like to get in touch today, call our team directly on 01635 230 888 or email [email protected].