JUST capital. That's Bury-based ductwork specialists Senior Hargreaves which is part of an elite team engaged on the radical new Greater London Authority building.

This is the first building on a prestige 13-acre site in the capital. The scheme is being undertaken by developer CIT.

The design, an ellipsoidal structure providing 18,000 sq metres of accommodation, is by internationally acclaimed architects Foster and Partners. The building has many advanced heating and ventilation facilities. A central core houses ventilation risers and from this, Lord Street-based Hargreaves have provided ductwork to service the voids beneath the raised floors and false ceilings. Fire engineering has also been a critical factor. Senior Hargreaves specialise in this field and their HFD series fire resistant ductwork is used extensively for car parking and kitchen extract.

This ensures effective day-to-day ventilation with the assurance that under fire conditions, products of combustion can be safely ported away.

Over and above ductwork supply, the Bury company also provided all prime movers such as fans, silencers, constant volume boxes, grilles and diffusers. Working to the specification of Arup Consulting Engineers, Hargreaves developed the design as part of their contract works.

Arup then commented on these and the drawings were altered before final approval ahead of ductwork manufacture.

The Greater London Authority headquarters is the landmark building on the More London development.