Mondial House - The Design
 The GRP Cladding
The GRP Cladding
The GRP panels for Mondial House were designed by Peter Hodge Associates.





"The building cost £18M and the integration of the ventilation and overhanging projections to minimise solar gain all add up to a finely integrated design."
| EXIT | Design Tour: | TD 1 | TD 3 | TD 4 | TD 5 | 
| TD 2 | The GRP Cladding | Composites Research | Peter Hodge |

The panels for Mondial House were designed by Peter Hodge Associates, manufactured by Anmac Ltd and Brensal Plastics Ltd and were tested by Yarsley Laboratories. GRP cladding is a flat dense glass reinforced polyester sheet which is easy to clean and fix.


In the book 'Cladding of Buildings (2008) by Alan J Brookes and Maarten Meijs' it is noted...

"This project was probably the largest structure erected using GRP cladding in the UK and the inclusion of mini-rib finish to these panels resulted in them still maintaining their appearance 25 years after installation."

Cladding Performance

GRP - Glass Reinforced Plastic

GFRP - Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic

In service performance of GRP composites in buildings by Dr Sue Halliwell of Composites UK:

Mondial House

  • GRP sandwich panels add structural integrity to the building
  • Joints designed to accommodate thermal movement
  • At 25 years
    • no repairs
    • some chalking
    • good condition
"Inspection in 1997 found the white GRP to be in good condition; some chalking was evident, and there had been gasket movement between some joints. No repairs had been done. The building had been cleaned several times. The maintenance house, known as the ‘chocolate box’, is the only part of the building to be constructed in brown GRP. This had faded and chalked, and there was some evidence of crazing. Fibres were showing through in some areas."

The 'Chocolate Box'.
The 'chocolate box' cladding, top floor of Fire Station.






Photo © Leon Baird 2006.
Composites Research

The Building Research Establishment (BRE) set up NGCC in 2001. "The Network Group for Composites in Construction (NGCC) aims to improve partnering between companies and industry groups, encourage the use of composites in construction, raise the industry's profile and develop best practice in the application of fibre reinforced composites in construction."

Composites UK continues to promote the best use of composite materials in building.

Peter Hodge

Frances Smith writes...

"The panels for Mondial were a ground breaking concept by my late Father, Peter Hodge who died in 1976 at the early age of just 51. He left behind a legacy of fibreglass resin paintings and other artefacts which still look fantastic today."

A Peter Hodge creation A Peter Hodge creation
Peter Hodge's fibreglass resin paintings.

Left: A beautiful sunset.

Right: A knight and his lady are a composite of fibreglass/resin mixed in with real stone.





Photos: Courtesy of Frances Smith.

Design, images and text compiled by © Light-Straw. With special thanks to Frances Smith.
Page last updated 25 May 2021.

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