Zodiac Court, London

The Hayes branch of Lords Builders Merchants supplied ITP’s FlameOut Breathe flame-retardant breather membrane for the transformation of an iconic 1960s building in Croydon familiar to fans of the cult TV sitcom, Peep Show.

Zodiac Court is being converted into contemporary apartments by development company, Common Projects. The 1960s building is divided between the first four floors of offices, which have been empty for more than 30 years, and the residential tower, Zodiac House, rising above it. As the home to Mark and Jez in Peep Show, Zodiac House is better known as the fictional Apollo House in Channel 4’s comedy classic.

The whole site is being revamped with a scheme designed by renowned architect, shedkm, which will be transformational for the local area, defining a centre for Broad Green with a new common, along with community facilities. The project includes shedkm’s radical reimagining of a large derelict forecourt into ‘Broad Green Common’ comprising a community garden, new café, and a public pavilion on the corner of London Road and Charfield Road. Common Projects collaborated with community group, Big Local Broad Green, to come up with ideas for the area. With an objective to deliver something brand-new without the huge environmental impact of demolishing the existing buildings, shedkm worked with Common Projects to upgrade the existing residential tower and expertly redesign the vacant office into 78 new homes, shops, a nursery, workshops, courtyards, and shared social spaces.

Multi-disciplinary construction company, Vidi Construction, has installed FlameOUT Breathe in combination with FlameOUT tape, an advanced system which provides W1 water tightness to repel rainwater and high breathability to facilitate the release of water vapour, preventing the build-up of moisture in the insulation layer. Suitable for roof and wall applications, the membrane is made from non-woven fabric with superior self-extinguishing qualities and Euroclass B,s1-d0 flame retardancy independently tested to EN 13501-1.

ITP Account Manager, Marisa Schofield, said:

“shekdm have applied their expertise in socially responsive design to create an exceptional regeneration project which is revitalising the Broad Green area. ITP are proud to supply a key element in the rejuvenation of these famous buildings as part of the work carried out by Vidi Construction. FlameOUT Breathe will protect the long-term condition of the building envelope to ensure that the transformation stands the test of time.”

CGI courtesy shedkm/Common Projects