Finsbury Pavement

The eye catcher of this eight-storey high building in downtown London is a 25 meter high and 25 meter wide circular structural facade of which the structural elements are visible. This fits the characteristics of High-tech architecture (1990s), where it was fashionable to expose both construction and installations and let them work as architectural and aesthetic element. The high degree of prefabrication is also part of this movement, also known as Structural Expressionism.
In the frameless glass façade of Finsbury Pavement the 2,1 by 4,2 meters sized glass panels follow the quarter circular in the floor plan. The main stabilizing is achieved by vertical tubular girders suspending from the roof and at the bottom connected to a polygonal horizontal truss. Cast stainless steel Quattro-nodes have been attached to these trusses with a system of horizontal, diagonal and vertical stainless steel cables. These elements apply a horizontal force to the trusses and pre-stress the whole construction.
The assembly of this façade has been very complex due to the structural design and the small available (public) space in the heart of London.
The project is also known as the 'Helicon Building'.