Glazing Hull’s Monocle development the ‘perfect example’ of EYG Commercial’s industry leading expertise

16th July 2025

EYG Commercial has officially completed the glazing installation on the city’s new ‘Monocle’ development – a job which has not only generated a feeling of great pride but also demonstrated our team’s industry-leading skills.

One of Hull’s most recognisable and well-known landmarks, the 1960s office complex, formerly known as Europa House, has been given a new lease of life thanks to a multi-million pound refurbishment, led by another Hull-based business, Allenby Commercial.

Whilst work is currently ongoing transforming the inside into a new modern workspaces, offering everything from small studios to large company headquarters, EYG has brought to close a year on site, completing a stunning glazing installation which has transformed the building’s appearance.

“I think everybody would agree that the building looks absolutely fantastic now that all the glazing is in, and all the scaffolding has been removed,” said Richard Saunders, sales and estimating director at EYG Commercial.

“It’s an iconic building for Hull, and it’s a project we were very proud to be selected for. Allenby Commercial put a lot of faith in us, and I’m pleased to say we have delivered, and they have been thrilled with the final product.

“People will remember the old reflective gold, but the client wanted a much more modern appearance, which is what we have delivered with neutral solar control glass, giving a really modern look with the bronze panels and bronze powder-coated trims.”

Precise planning required due to curved frontage

Mr Saunders says the curved nature of the building, and the sheer size of the specialist solar glazing units, made the planning process of the job crucial.

“Because of the curvature of the building, we had to be really precise with the surveying and planning, as had we been out by one degree at one end of the building, by the time we reached the other side, we could have been out by 300mm.We were within 5mm in the end,” he said.

Installation manager Martin Shaw oversaw the complete installation on site, and says it has been a unique project.

“There were quite a few challenges to this job, but the biggest we faced was the limited space outside for fitting, due to the scaffolding,” he said.

“As standard glazing units are installed from inside, but the spacing between the aluminium curtain walling sections was too small to be able to do that, so we had to bring all the glazing to each floor inside the building, use a robot to pick them up and angle them to get them through the openings, and then pull them back into position into the glazing rebate.

“We had to do that 400 times, for each individual glazing unit.”

Commitment to recycling

As part of the job, EYG has ensured all materials which were stripped from the building have been recycled, even retaining some of the old gold reflective glass panels to form mirrors in an on-site gym in the new development.

Both Mr Saunders and Mr Shaw say the feel a great sense of pride at the finished product.

“EYG is over 50 years old as a company, I this building is just a bit older, so it meant the world to us to get this project. It’s an iconic building with great views, and now looks stunning from the outside. Everybody that drives into the city sees it, and that external view is our work, so I’m very proud,” said Mr Saunders.

“It’s been a challenging job, but thanks to our experience and expertise, its one which has gone smoothly,” added Mr Shaw.

“It’s a great testament to the EYG team and a perfect example of our industry leading expertise.”