Internals

Gallery Of Work

NATIONAL GALLERY

ARCHITECT: Dixon Jones

Spring 2004


Szerelmey are currently executing internal marble cladding and flooring works to the East Wing of the Grade 1 listed National Gallery for main contractors Wates. Materials for this project have been sourced and procured from Portugal, France, Belgium and Tunisia together with Portland Stone and Cornish Granite from the United Kingdom.

The architects Dixon Jones have been heavily involved with Szerelmey and historic marble specialists, McMarmilloyd during the stone selection process to ensure the success of this prestigious project. As a result numerous trips were made to Italy where the supply of the French Noir St Laurent wall cladding was prepared prior to delivery to the UK. The final selection and positioning of each individual stone within the walls has been a painstaking task for the Architects. Each area of cladding was dry set on the floor within a warehouse in Italy and viewed from above from a scaffold tower. The stones were then finally placed ensuring that each wall elevation was consistent in its appearance. Each stone was then numbered and their arrangement recorded on elevation drawings to ensure the exact reconstruction of the agreed dry set takes place on site. The cladding is being fixed to a galvanised steel structural framing system; each stone is individually supported and is being fixed leaving a 2mm open joint. Any fixings that can be potentially viewed through the open joints are being painted.

This great attention to detail has been typical throughout every phase of the works. The new staircases have Azul Cascais limestone treads each weighing almost 300kg which have been sourced from Portugal and finally finished in Italy where rebates have been neatly cut into the nosing of each tread into which a Belgian Black marble insert has been fixed. In section, the riser of each tread has also been angled back to avoid a potential trip hazard. To ensure the staircases fit perfectly at their junction with the wall cladding the treads are being fixed first followed by the wall cladding from the stringer upwards. A template is then being taken of the gap left between the treads and the bottom course of the wall cladding prior to the stones being cut and fixed to neatly form the stringer.

The flooring to the East entrance vestibule and the internal courtyard combines the use of both Azul Cascais and Chateaux Jaune materials with just Azul Cascais being laid to the floor areas to the East Café, East shop and the Southeast lightwell. Floor areas have Ti Lock movement control joints incorporated within the overall design together with an open joint to the perimeter of the floor areas, which is being concealed beneath the skirting. Consideration has also been given to the overall maintenance of these floor areas. It has been decided to seal the floors with a water based sealer in lieu of solvent based products to avoid the necessity to completely close areas when the sealer eventually requires to be re-applied.

Szerelmey’s work package also incorporates the cleaning; repair and refixing of previously set aside historic marbles and the carving of over 11,000 incised letters for donor plaques to the Main Entrance and to an existing Portland stone tablet above the East entrance door.

 

Tags: Masonry,  Brick work, stonework, Facade restoration, marble, granite, hard landscaping, internal flooring,  Expert stone masonry london.