Far East Façade UK Ltd, subsidiary of leading curtain wall specialist Far East Global Group, has recently won its first project in the UK to work on the prestigious London office development at 71 Queen Victoria Street.
The company beat off stiff competition to secure the deal with Bouygues UK Ltd to supply a 5,000 square metre façade package for this eye-catching development designed by London-based SPPARC Architecture. This first contract has been eagerly anticipated after Far East Façade arrived in the UK last year drawing press interest and speculation about its impact on the UK construction industry.
Managing Director of Far East Facade, Peter Walker, comments: “We are delighted to have secured our first UK project as a result of the value, quality and expertise the company brings to the local market. It’s also great to be working with Bouygues UK Ltd, which is a logical extension of our global relationship with the company and reflects the benefits of being part of a major international curtain wall group.”
This success not only comes hot on the heels of setting up the UK team, based out of its London offices in Paddington, but is also a reflection of the company’s international growth, with Far East Global Group recording 60% growth in order intake in 2012 compared with 2011.
Reflecting on the company’s world-wide success, Walker confirms: “The North American markets are particularly buoyant for the Group at the moment and we have just secured our first project in Australia. As the UK team operates globally we have the skills and experience to deliver challenging façade projects to the UK construction industry.
Far East Façade’s Project Director, Darren Clare, explains: “This complex and exciting development involves partial refurbishment of an existing building. This is a particular speciality of our North American sister company Gamma, which operates our facility in New York and we have worked closely with them on elements of the package.
"There are a number of design challenges - including an impressive curved unitised façade to the front of the building – which have given us the opportunity to demonstrate the strength and expertise of the UK design team and we are confident the project will prove a striking reference for Far East Façade UK.”
Far East Global Group, renowned for delivering the curtain wall used on over 520 major projects worldwide, including the iconic Burj Khalifa, owns five large scale fabrication facilities – two in China and three in North America – with a combined annual capacity of over one million square metres of curtain wall.
Much of the product for the Queen Victoria St project will be manufactured in the Groups fabrication plant in Buffalo, New York.