St Martin’s Courtyard was created as a mixed-use retail, dining and lifestyle destination in the heart of London’s Covent Garden district. Every year, millions of people enjoy its many attractions, including shopping, theatres, restaurants, bars, history and culture. St Martin’s Courtyard is one of the several pedestrianized areas of the popular neighbourhood.

In 2016, after a competition, Brimelow McSweeney Architects was commissioned to further develop the concept of the courtyard with a complete refurbishment. The architect’s proposal sought to create a large attractive terrace to the restaurants, unique entrance features and facades to entice passers-by into the courtyard.

Using the beauty of Corian® to attract visitors

The approach to the courtyard design sought to enhance the outdoor living creating an inner city garden atmosphere for people to sit and relax while attracting other visitors as the installations are visible from the street.

Illuminating curves

The entire arcade was clad with Corian® Exteriors in a marble-like textured colour. The unique thermoforming properties of the material allowed for the curved shapes of arches and vault, with seamless joints between the glued panels. Corian® Exteriors was also used for the façade of the terrace over the ground and first floor with a pattern mirroring the arches, giving the entire facade visual continuity. LED lighting fixtures were integrated into the Corian® cladding, providing an attractive and unusual illumination to St Martin’s Courtyard especially at night.

The cube above the terrace has also been clad with Corian® Exteriors. Brimelow McSweeney Architects created a decorative façade with a small geometric pattern cut into the material, displaying a stunning effect of light and shadows, further emphasized when backlit.

“We were able to achieve the monolithic look we wanted for our large-scale design thanks to the versatility of Corian® Exteriors. Its thermoforming properties and the inconspicuous seams allowed us to create the arches, the columns and the decorative wall cladding exactly as we had designed them. The support of Corian® Exteriors specialists in the UK and the great skills and know-how of Dolphin company in the fabrication of Corian® Solid Surface were extremely helpful for the completion of our project.” explained Sheila Eilenberg, Director of Brimelow McSweeney Architects.