Hunter Douglas produces its first radialised grill ceiling in the UK as part of £20m project

A £20 million dining hub in the heart of London features the first exterior solid wood radial grill ceiling system to be installed in the UK by global architectural products company Hunter Douglas.

Broadgate Circle, a restaurant and leisure scheme next to Liverpool Street Station, opened in the spring of 2015 and was designed by Simon Swietochowski of architects Arup Associates.

The 45,000 sq ft Broadgate Circle, which forms part of the wider Broadgate scheme, has won the support of English Heritage and is home to a popular ice rink in the winter months, as well as a range of other activities throughout the year.

As part of the ambitious Broadgate Circle project, which was commissioned by owners British Land and GIC, Hunter Douglas was commissioned to create a 600m2 exterior grill system, installed in a series of four concentric curves.

David Harris, General Manager of Hunter Douglas Architectural Products UK, said because it was the first time the company had manufactured a radial external grill system in this country, it undertook extensive research and developed samples for the architect.

“Usually all the slats are parallel and are installed in a linear way, but the design of this panel meant that the gaps gradually increase,” he said.

“We looked at how Hunter Douglas had achieved this from manufacturing and engineering perspectives on a couple of projects in Europe and adapted it to suit this particular scheme, developing samples along the way to ensure that we could achieve the intended design to the architect’s satisfaction.

“Aesthetically speaking, the grill ceiling looks exceptional – it’s clean and modern and the choice of wood provides warmth to the whole architectural design.”

Using durable Siberian larch, which is fire-treated to achieve class 0 and fully sealed with a UV-cured varnish, Hunter Douglas’s grill system comprised slats that were 20mm wide and 80mm deep for ultimate aesthetic appeal.