Capella, Kings Cross

Designed to form the crowning phase of King's Cross's visionary regeneration, the 14-storey building comprises 120 exceptional market-sale homes and 56 elegant social rented flats.

Facade consultants FMDC, working alongside architects Allies and Morrison, had the opportunity to set the benchmark for both the performance and identity on a project that symbolises style, craftsmanship and a connection to nature.

Balancing Light, Comfort and Performance 

One of the projects biggest challenges lay in the buildings striking floor-to-ceiling windows, which flood the interiors with natural light. They needed to ensure residents stayed warm in winter and guarded against overheating in summer. 

By picking NorDan’s alu-clad N-Tech windows, they deliver ultra-low thermal U-values and an impressive G-value or solar heat gain measurement of around 0.4, combining strong insulation with effective solar control, helping to minimise overheating without the need for energy-intensive air conditioning units.  

Lefteris Siamopoulos, Associate Façade Consultant at FMDC, said: “Capella embodies the spirit of high-end, contemporary city living, and every specification decision had to balance between its bold design ambitions and  performance , safety and durability demands.” 

To match this need for safety, it was clear Capella had to install inward-opening windows, “With Lewis Cubitt Park right on your doorstep, being able to open the windows and bring the outside in is something every resident wants. By specifying them to open inwards, that was made possible in a much safer way with NorDan's N-Tech Tilt and Turn windows".