Carrera Building
- Architect: GENSLER
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
In 2000, we were commissioned by Thompson Travel, now part of the TUI Group, to refurbish three floors of the old Carrera Tobacco Building.The building dates back to 1934 and was then the largest tobacco factory in Europe.
The building owners had embarked on a program to refurbish the external envelope of the building placing great emphasis on restoring the Art-deco facade. The “black cats” of Carrera Tobacco fame now stand guard to this industrial icon.
Key to the refurbishment works was the creation of new openings through the existing reinforced concrete shear walls which provide lateral stability to the whole building. These openings provide for both circulation routes and accommodate new and improved services to the building.
Because of previous structural movement, finite element techniques were used to model the effects these openings could have on the performance of the building. Fortunately this rigorous structural analysis enabled the structural works to proceed as planned.
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