Triptych Bankside

Triptych Bankside is a three tower, mixed-use development, adjacent to London’s Tate Modern and Globe Theatre in Southwark. It provides creative workspace in a ten-storey building sitting alongside two residential blocks of fifteen and nineteen storeys respectively, offering 170 new luxury homes. The striking design by architects Squire & Partners features unusual semicircular balconies throughout, which help to maximises amenity space and provide sweeping panoramic views. The specification is demanding though and the semicircular balcony profiling incorporates bespoke Isokorb T type SK units, designed with specific postional load capacities, which use built-in steel reinforcement. The T type SK is a complete system structural thermal break for concrete-to-steel connectivity – and no other UK product for concrete-to-steel applications satisfies the necessary load-bearing requirements, or meets the thermal performance required by building standards (Part L). The entire project is built with sustainability in mind.  So minimising any risk of thermal bridging at the balcony detailing is critical, as local heat loss will result in more energy being required to maintain the internal temperature of the building. Also low internal surface temperatures in the area of any thermal bridge can cause condensation and this in turn is likely to result in structural integrity problems. Mould growth too is a possible risk, which in a residential situation can cause asthma and allergies.