In 1994 Schmidlin secured the contract to reclad the NatWest Tower "the City’s tallest building" whose original 1970s façade system had been badly damaged following the two terrorist bombs which shook the City of London in the early 1990s.
The brief was to remove the existing façades and design and install a new curtain-wall system which visually replicated the original system whilst providing the improved performance and insulation required by today’s building regulations. The brief also required that the new façade provide a significantly improved level of protection to personnel in the event of a further terrorist device. An aggressive site programme and the client’s requirement to progress the works from the top working down, led to the design and manufacture of a bespoke 3-storey high suspended working platform which provided access, continuously around the complex plan shape of the building, from which the works could be safely carried out.
The recladding works were successfully undertaken ahead of programme in less than one year, which equated to a cycle of approximately one week per floor for the entire recladding process.