Heinz Administrative Headquarters and Former Research Laboratories

Heinz Administrative Headquarters and Former Research Laboratories

These two Grade II* listed buildings form a unified complex of reinforced-concrete construction with an externally-expressed frame. The external columns and slab edges are pre-cast with a granite aggregate finish, while the remainder of the frame is cast in-situ. The walls are fully glazed throughout.

Both buildings are three storeys high with flat roofs. The lowest storey is sunk into the ground to clerestory height. Both are rectangular in plan, with the South Building featuring a central open courtyard.

The defining aesthetic of both buildings comes from the sculptural rhythm created by the vertical columns and horizontal floor slabs that project forward of the fully-glazed walls on all elevations. The columns are formed of two tapered sections which meet in an expansion joint. Behind the columns sits full-height continuous glazing in vertical sheets, with blue opaque glass infill to the lower sections on the upper floors. The glass is held in a slender aluminium framework.

The North Building (former research laboratories) has six bays to its north and south elevations and five bays to the east and west. The main entrance to the north (originally the service yard) approaches at grade, with a new service yard created to the west. To the west, ground has been cut back around the lower ground-floor to create an outdoor seating area adjacent to a new canteen. A staff entrance to the south is reached by steps down to the entrance door.

The South Building (administrative headquarters) has six bays to its north and south elevations and nine bays to the east and west. Its internal courtyard elevations are treated to match the external elevations. The courtyard originally contained a shallow reflection pool with an off-centre island; these features remain but the pool is now infilled with loose pebbles.

The main entrance to the South Building is to the east, where curved retaining walls expose the lower ground-floor at grade with the main approach road. A retaining wall originally screened the interior and was broken only by a double door providing the main entrance; this wall has now been pulled back to reveal a glazed reception lobby. The sight-line through the building from entrance lobby through courtyard and canteen to the landscape beyond has been preserved. Staff entrances to the north and south are reached by ramped ground levels. To the west, ground is cut away between curved retaining walls for five bays to provide outside seating for the canteen.

The interior fixtures, fittings and finishes of both buildings have been renewed and layouts altered with consideration given to their impact on sight-lines through these heavily-glazed buildings. The non-structural interior elements are not of special interest.

The two buildings were originally linked at basement level by a subterranean corridor. This corridor remains but has now been blocked up and is not of special interest.