Case study · Condition assessment · London
Every elevation of a 29-storey tower, inspected in three days.
McKay Turner Consulting was appointed to carry out a full-envelope Façade Condition Assessment of HYLO, a landmark redeveloped office tower on the City fringe, inspecting every elevation close-up from street level to roof.
The building
A 1960s tower, reborn as premium offices
HYLO began life as a 1960s office tower and was extended and redeveloped in the early 2020s into a 29-storey building of around 250,000 sq ft. Two lower wings step down at the fourth and seventh floors to landscaped terraces, and an adjoining low-rise building shares the same façade systems.
The envelope combines brick slips cast into precast concrete rainscreen panels with a unitised aluminium curtain wall of vision and opaque glazing, finished with projecting mullion features. Aluminium louvres and entrance doors complete the ground floor.
The brief
A full-envelope survey of a landmark tower
The client instructed a non-intrusive Façade Condition Assessment covering the whole external envelope: every façade system, on every elevation, from street level to roof plant.
On a building this tall, that means getting close to the façade at height rather than relying on views from the street, and recording the survey in a way the client and their teams can use long after the visit.
How we did it
Close-up, at height, on every elevation
The upper elevations were inspected at arm's length from the building's maintenance unit, with the ground-floor perimeter, upper terraces and roof plant level surveyed on foot. Working this way puts gaskets, joints, fixings and glass within touching distance rather than leaving them to binoculars.
Every observation was photographed and pinned to its location on the elevation drawings in a digital field survey, so each item in the report can be found again on site by whoever carries out the work.
Planning
Elevation drawings reviewed, access and RAMS agreed with the building team.
BMU survey
Upper elevations inspected close-up from the building maintenance unit.
Ground, terraces & roof
Perimeter, terrace levels and roof plant area surveyed on foot.
Reporting
Findings by system, location-referenced photos and clear recommendations.
The outcome
A complete, usable record of the envelope.
The client received a structured report covering each façade system in turn, supported by a full photographic survey with every observation located on the elevation drawings, and clear recommendations for the building's ongoing care.
The survey was completed in three days on site, and the full report was issued within four weeks.
Every elevation of a 29-storey tower, inspected at arm's length and documented so the client can act with confidence.
Work with us
Need an independent view of your building's façade?
McKay Turner Consulting carries out façade condition assessments, PAS 9980 external wall appraisals, EWS1 assessments and façade fire-safety consultancy for buildings of every height.