London, Holbein Place

Posted: 22 Apr, 2015

Materials:

Swiss Gneiss with Silver Grey Granite Kerb

Details:

Holbein Place is just one small corner of Sloane Square in London‚ but a most important corner as it covers the access to Sloane Square tube station. A material was needed to be really tough‚ not show dirt badly and have good slip resistance as some of this was to be a shared surface. It also had to complement the existing buildings without taking centre stage but nor should it be banal. Following earlier design work by Stanton Williams when considering the whole square‚ Project Centre continued with the originally selected Swiss gneiss‚ using it in both its sawn and textured format and also some natural surface dark riven stone.

Despite a lot of publicly voiced concern about the general layout‚ the material has performed most admirably. A new material for London but one with all the necessary technical characteristics of skid resistance‚ flexural strength and low water absorption; it has certainly justified its selection in this location.