GlaxoSmithKline Installations
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Memorial to Sir David Jack
Sir David was Glaxo’s Research and Development Director from 1961 to 1987 and is credited as being the major force to turning the company from a manufacturer of formula baby milk and cough lozenges to the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical organisation it is today.
The cult of personalities is not one usually promoted within the firm, but in this case, Sir Andrew Witty, GSK’s CEO, made an exception. Sir David will be remembered as the main driving force behind one of the UK’s foremost pharmaceutical companies.
This memorial is located in the entrance to the commissary in Building 8 at GSK Research & Development site in Ware, Hertfordshire.
Designed by Equinox Partners, the 1.2 metre plaque is of Burlington Kirkby Blue Slate and noted for its carvability.
The lettering was engraved and filled by the talented Bobbie Fennick and the bas-relief bronze of Sir David was created by Mark Richards, noted for his work on low-relief images of royalty on coins.
Ware Site Signage
Equinox Partners were approached by Jim Godfrey (L) and Paul Rand (R), the design team at the Ware R&D site in Hertfordshire, to create the memorial to Sir David Jack and promote the site to ‘The David Jack Centre for Research & Development’.
One of the requirements was for an external roadside sign in stainless steel, developed to reflect the elevated status of the area and where previously there had just been a standard GSK corporate sign.
Featuring the site branding created by Equinox Partners, the whole sign was built from powder coated steel, anodised aluminium and applied adhesive graphics. The raised 3D lettering and sweep was in laser cut stainless steel, hand seam-welded into shape in Kent by contractors working with Prestige Signs, who in turn installed the sign on the evening of 16th May 2012 – the 69th anniversary of the Dambusters Raid – before the big reveal!
Infographic Panels
A series of four acrylic infographic panels charting the history of Sir David Jack from his schooling in Scotland, through his successes as Glaxo’s Research and Development Director, to his post-retirement work developing new asthma drugs.
This is part of a permanent display outside the GSK site’s lecture theatre and featured in the main event held to celebrate Sir David’s life.
The colourful panels are mounted on the wall of the common refreshment area and can be viewed by all members of staff, visitors and students and provide information at a very real and personal level.
A 3D visual effect is achieved by mounting printed graphics on either side of the 10mm acrylic, so that the quality of the information is enhanced and presents a suitable memorial on the great man.
Ware Site Building 8
This building was the meeting place and commissary for all the staff on the laboratory site in Ware, Hertfordshire, the location for the Sir David Jack memorial and was to be renamed “The Sir David Jack Building”
The blank windowless walls offered an opportunity to create some fantastic displays to colour up the environment and celebrate the life of Sir David, even if was a temporary measure. Equinox Partners also suggested permanent signage to identify the building from afar.
Priced at around £7,000 at the time, the site manager thought we were joking. “That’s far too cheap!” So the project never took off…..
