We recently paid a visit to M-Tec, the architectural metalwork division of WEC Group, to review progress on our clock and hibernacula towers. The two towers will be the final touches to the landscape at West Hampstead Square that we have designed for Ballymore, construction of which is nearing completion.
The clock tower is 6.5 metres tall and constructed using corten weathering steel, a material that will develop a rich oxidised patination over time. The clock face hands and numerals have been manufactured by Smiths of Derby, leading clock makers established since 1856. The face is opaque glass, the hands and numerals are patinated bronze.
The hibernacula tower is 5.5 metres tall. Its steel frame will accommodate a variety of natural materials, providing a multi-storey habitat for a wide range of wildlife.
The towers will sit at opposing ends of the development, with the clock tower sited in the new town square adjacent West End Lane while the hibernacula tower sits close to the new ecology garden at the far end of the site.
