The windows are set flush with the inner face of the walls, revealing their full thickness externally and thus lending them a sense of weight. Both the copper-clad and the engineering-brick facades are articulated by horizontal lines, an effect that is accentuated by the elongated form of the bricks and the recessed bedding joints. To avoid any repetitive patterning in the brickwork, the vertical joints were staggered. The bond repeats every 22 courses and every 432 cm in length. All bricks in the building were specially designed and handmade. By using English clay, which can be burned at very high temperatures, irregularities were created in the bricks that lend them a rough, rustic quality. The engineering bricks are also suitable for facade areas in contact with water – an important aspect for a building that stands in the harbour.
