Aluminium fenestration at heart of industrial jewel new-build

The Curtain is a nine-storey new-build in London's Shoreditch. It occupies the site of a former 1970s office block and takes its name from the road it sits on.

Housed inside are three restaurants, four bars, a hotel, private members’ club and a rooftop terrace with a bar and pool offering views across the City skyline. 

Architects Dexter Moren Associates took on the project for their hotelier client Michael Achenbaum, who wanted the building to reflect the area’s architectural tradition, industrial history and creativity. 

Lead architect Zoe Tallon reinterpreted the area's 19th-century warehouse buildings to reference the neighbourhood heritage.

The facade consists of red brick with large-framed aluminium windows that complement the urban aesthetic and give the building a character of its own.

Aluminium systems company Reynaers supplied its CS 38 slimline windows, CP 130 sliding patio doors and CW 50 curtain walling. The fabricator on the project was AWS Turner Fain.

The next generation of CS 38 is now available from Reynaers. Slimline 38 (SL 38) is a highly insulated inward and outward opening aluminium window and door system that combines elegance and comfort with a unique design.

The slender steel look offers the perfect windows and doors for modern architecture and the renovation of steel frames, respecting the original design while offering a thermally improved solution.

For her work on The Curtain project, Zoe Tallon won a best designed new hotel Creative Spark Award. The hotel now operates as The Mondrian Shoreditch London.