GLASS giant Pilkington has helped to create a three-story structural glass cube as part of a makeover and extension at Aldi’s UK headquarters.

Aldi’s £70m investment in the site has added new architectural features to the building’s exterior and created 14,000 sqm of new space. Pilkington, working with Stoas Architects and Bennett Architectural, has delivered the ‘glass cube’ and an external glazed canopy to form a welcoming entrance of the building for visitors.

It features highly transparent glass with a solar control coating, which reduces the amount of the sun’s energy that is able to enter the building. This helps to avoid excessive heat build-up in the space and helps to reduce the need for air conditioning during warm weather.

Phil Savage, head of sales, UK Processing, at Pilkington United Kingdom Ltd, said: “By collaborating with architects and installers we’ve been able to deliver a visually stunning architectural centrepiece for one of Europe’s largest retailers. The Pilkington Planar™ structural glazing system used to create the glass cube has been refined and improved over many years to arrive at the highly evolved design we have today used in this project, which offers uninterrupted views for visitors from inside Aldi’s HQ outwards.”

Corporate property director, Mike Clarke, at Aldi, said: “The Architecture of any building plays a key part in making it a great place to work or visit. The installation supported by Pilkington has helped to deliver modern design features to our HQ, to create a workspace we are really proud of.”