Ash & Lacy

This £40 million retrofit transformation of Brindley Place, a well-known site in the Westside of Birmingham city centre, raises the bar for sustainability and wellness in an urban regeneration and commercial refurbishment project. The ‘back to frame’ concept combines 10 Brindley Place with the adjoining 8 Brindley Place to create over 200,000 square feet of offices with serviced apartments and one of the largest floorplates in the city. Amenities include an on-site café, fitness facilities, a fitness studio and bouldering wall, storage for 100 cycles, electric vehicle charging points, and two communal roof terraces with impressive views. Associated Architects have created a bold new identity for the site. The façade was completely redesigned using 245,000 locally sourced bricks from a sustainable quarry. Each one was installed by hand to cover an area of 40,000 square feet. The system was constructed off an exterior steel frame consisting of a breather membrane, thermal insulation, fire cavity barriers, and helping hand brackets and rails. Grooves were cut into the bricks before they were slotted into these rails and mortar was then applied to all brick joints.The Leicester Grey Stock, Atlas Dark Grey, and Blue Glazed bricks selected complement each other and create a modern and distinctive aesthetic that responds positively to the renovated building’s Broad Street context. Floor to ceiling windows on the large floorplates complete the design, which blends impeccably with the nearby Metro line and adjacent development. The identity is also carried through to the interior styling. This interior, that boasts a striking double-height reception area, was developed in partnership with Willmott Dixon.In addition to its impressive appearance, the renovated Brindley Place also utilises smart building technologies to provide real-time energy monitoring. The building also has excellent thermal performance, achieved a high WiredScore and an excellent BREEAM rating. Occupier wellness is also at the heart of the new design. Indeed, Brindley Place was the first building in Birmingham to receive a Fitwel accreditation. In summary, this highly acclaimed urban redevelopment has both shifted perceptions of Broad Street as an address and set new standards for the reinvention of office space in the city. It has transformed the site and provides one of the most attractive and well-equipped office buildings in the country. 

In partnership with leading global investment firm KKR, Regal London recently completed a strategic new site at 340a Clapham Road, SW9, situated between Stockwell and Clapham North. Previously a brownfield site (tool hire depot), the site has been completely transformed into a vibrant mixed use, residential-led development, totalling 94,740 sq ft and will deliver 62 one, two and three-bedroom apartments spread over nine floors. The ground and lower ground floors also comprise approximately 18,250 ft2 of flexible commercial space. Planning permission was granted in June 2017 following a collaborative working relationship with the London Borough of Lambeth and the project reached its completion in 2021.With a high quality and contemporary design, both of which are hallmarks of Regal London schemes, the development perfectly complements the surrounding streetscape of new build and period properties, featuring a subtle interplay of façade materials including brick, aluminium and glass installed by Buildtherm Services. Ideally located for commuters, an established network of transport links is within easy reach of the development, with Stockwell Underground Station just 0.2miles away, as well as Clapham North Underground Station and Clapham High Street Overground Station both within a short walk. A thriving social and leisure scene is also nearby, led by the bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes, as well as a selection of amenities, in situ along the lively Clapham High Street and its surrounds.The undeniable kerb-appeal of this luxury residential development is testament to the design capabilities of the modern methods of construction used throughout the build and the quality of workmanship involved. The architect’s ambitious concept design called for a modern and sleek interpretation of the surrounding vernacular to satisfy planning requirements. The vision is clearly represented by the multiple challenging interfaces; including large expanses of glazing, cantilevered balconies and rooftop garden spaces which represented an important consideration within the design of the main structure and supporting steel frame systems. In order to comply with the latest building regulations for residential buildings over 18m in height, topping out at 9 storeys, Regal London also needed to ensure that all façade materials met with the requirement for non-combustibility, with a minimum EN13501-1 rating of A2, including the balconies.Over 3000m2 of A1 rated NaturAL-X brick cladding has been installed across several new elevations, with the architect having selected 3 different brick finishes to satisfy planning requirements, specifying subtle and muted tones including a textured dark, smooth off-white, and glazed white. As well as varying the colours and textures of the brick cladding, hundreds of bespoke cut and bonded return bricks were manufactured to suit the angular interfaces at balcony levels. The project design also called for elements of flexibly orientated brick coursing, with soldier courses, stack bonded and soffit return sections featuring at ground level and interspersed within the columns and beams stretching across the front elevation. The adaptability of this BBA certified innovative brick cladding system allows for modern interpretations of brickwork design to be easily integrated using standard components, without any requirement for additional structural support and with the added reassurance of all relevant system testing.Set back from the main brick façade, the top two floors featuring luxurious penthouse apartments are clad in VariAL-CF2 Concealed-fix 3mm aluminium cassettes, with a powder coated finish produced to Qualicoat standards. This CWCT tested, A2 rated rainscreen system is designed to accommodate large format vertically orientated modules, as well as complex details such as soffits, verges and goalpost details; making it eminently suitable for the balcony fascia areas too. Concealed fixings located in the panel joints are colour coated to match the panels, delivering an uninterrupted aesthetic. With long-term maintenance in mind, VariAL-CF2 allows for individual panels to be demounted, removed and replaced if required, without causing any detriment to the surrounding areas.

Project DescriptionThe new £5.5m state-of-the-art Beacon building was created as part of a £40m investment in Staffordshire University’s City campus in Stoke-on-Trent. A three storey, metal-clad building, it features innovative learning and social spaces. These include 12 timetabled teaching areas and general teaching rooms, flexible, multi-sized space for lectures, IT labs, seminar spaces, and The Pavilion Café which offers a street-food style menu.Specific Project ChallengesMaintaining the critical system interface details from the SFSinstaller to the rainscreen cladding installer.Ensuring colour continuity from one anodised aluminimum batch to another.Unique project featuresA bespoke natural anodised plank system, designed to seamlessly facilitate linear vertical modules.New anodising finishing techniques, featuring etched, brushed and polished finishes.A fully designed and warrantied through–wall solution from a single manufacturer.

Project DescriptionBioMed Realty’s development comprises 94,000 sq.ft. of new office accommodation over three storeys located in the heart of Cambridge’s Granta Park Estate. Rated BREEAM “Very Good”.The building features a dramatic top-lit central atrium space arranged at the heart of the floorplates. It affords the client, a leading international biotechnology company, to operate in exemplar facilities in a flexible environment to meet current needs, planned growth and evolving working patterns, including future proofing for laboratory uses. Aukett Swanke’s design embodies quality, simplicity and elegance, which enabled rapid construction to meet the proposed occupation date.Specific Project ChallengesThe façade design needed to be optimised so that the building could capture heat in the winter, minimise heat gain in the summer and maximise the use of natural daylight.The south-facing elevation, therefore, required a dynamic screen, acting as a brise soleil, maximising daylight opportunities and simultaneously avoiding excessive solar heat gain in the building interior.Solutions OfferedAsh & Lacy provided a bespoke two-step facade solution, using 3mm natural silver anodised aluminium to meet both the aesthetic and practical requirements at BioMed Realty.South elevation panels were rectangular perforated and mounted on a frame in front of the glazed curtain wall to form the dynamic screen.North, East and West elevation panels consisted of matching solid castellated panels with an embossed pattern matching the dynamic screen panels.

The newest stadium in London, at a capacity of 17,250, Brentford Community Stadium is the joint home of Brentford FC and London Irish. Many years in the making, the stadium forms the centrepiece of a mixed-use masterplan, offering residential accommodation and regenerative opportunities.Four stands bound by a triangular form – AFL’s distinctive design has been influenced by a uniquely shaped site. The 17,250 capacity stadium is surrounded on all sides by the M4 and two railway lines. Even with these restrictions, the bowl maximises seat capacity with exceptional views, creates a strong foundation for adjacent residential developments, and leaves room for future expansion.Environmental factors were a primary concern throughout the planning and construction process. The amount of reinforced concrete used in construction was halved when compared with the original scheme. Arup’s structural engineers also reduced the amount of primary steel by a third, further cutting embodied carbon and costs. Energy, noise and emissions levels are all well within the London planning framework requirements and the stadium has achieved a BREEAM Very Good sustainability rating.In order to meet planning requirements, a lightweight external envelope had to match the aesthetic appearance of concrete, requiring a mixture of soft varying tones and textures. A highly durable and resistant finish was also needed to suit panels installed at low level and in the pedestrianized areas around the perimeter of the building.Development work with the architect resulted in the selection of a superdurable powder coating applied to the VariAL-TF panels, designed to imitate the appearance of concrete panels and offering additional protection to the facade panels, which benefit from superior colour stability and gloss retention, even in harsh environments.The panels were pre-routered on the rear, enabling flexibility in achieving tolerances of the complex angles on site. This enabled the installers to adjust individual panels as required on site.

The Burton Borough School development is a brand new sports hall for Burton Borough School in Newport, Telford. As this building will be used primarily by schoolchildren, it was especially important that it was built using a durable solution which can stand up not only against weather conditions, but is fully non-combustible.Ash & Lacy worked through Kynaston Contract Services with Pave Aways Building Contractors and TACP Architects to deliver for Telford & Wrekin Council a MechSlip façade employing Ibstock’s Himley Ebony Black brick. Developed in conjunction with Ibstock Kevington, MechSlip is a lightweight, mechanically fixed system that offers significant advantages including reduced installation times and associated costs, as well as being classified A1 (non-combustible) to EN 13501-1 fire testing standards by Exova Warringtonfire.This project shows some of the design versatility of MechSlip as well, with the projecting header pattern on the building’s front elevation being achieved by alternating between half bricks and full bricks to create a memorable impression which manipulates shadow well. MechSlip allows specifiers and architects to create distinctive façades thanks to the flexibility of different sizes of brick slips and choice of multiple colours and textures.As well as offering the reassurance provided by a mechanically-fixed design, MechSlip has been rigorously tested to the Centre for Window & Cladding Technology (CWCT) standards, for wind resistance, water tightness and impact resistance. The result is that it eliminates the weather dependency of traditional building methods without compromising on the choice of brick finish.

A complete and highly innovative through-wall design by Ash & Lacy played a key role in the complete redevelopment of Christchurch Primary School in Burton-on-Trent. The building’s eye-catching facade comprises approximately 900m2 of VariAL TF rainscreen cladding in a gold metallic Larson ACM finish. It also features a projective outer façade of VariAL H rainscreen in 3mm RAL 9006 white aluminium PPC with bespoke perforated patterns, meeting the requirements of client Staffordshire County Council’s architects and incorporating the slogan “Love to learn, Learn to Love”, plus other graphic elements across the building, including musical notes and a clock face.

Project DescriptionThe Forbury Place development began in 2014 as the largest speculative office development in the UK outside of London, and is now considered to be Reading’s newest urban business district. The estate offers 600,000sqft of prime office space across 3 office buildings in the heart of Reading’s city centre. No1 Forbury Place is home to global company SSE, and has deservedly been recognised for architectural excellence thanks to its distinctive exterior façade.Specific Project ChallengesProject specific design and application of a floor to floor spanning rainscreen support system.Bespoke designed and fabricated 3D peel effect aluminium panels.Continuity of façade finish, from rainscreen panels across to brise-soleil and curtain walling systems.Solutions OfferedThe specification and engineering of the S150 VariAL H box mullion allowed floor to floor spanning, fixed at slab levels, to prevent point loading of the rainscreen system back to the SFS.Trial panels were manufactured in-house prior to supply on site to ensure architectural intent was interpreted accurately.Powder coating procurement through a single source applicator for all elements of the façade, to guarantee colour continuity.

The £40 million gateway scheme in Liverpool’s Lime Street features spectacular artwork commissioned from local artist Anthony Brown, depicting some of the forgotten stories of one of the city’s most famous streets across 11 giant panels displayed above shops and restaurants, featuring Ash & Lacy’s Perforated Metal Façade system.Designed by Broadway Malyan and forward funded by Curlew Capital, and delivered in a partnership between Liverpool City Council, ION Development and Sigma Inpartnership, the project saw the clearance of a series of run-down buildings and the development of new retail, leisure, hotel and student accommodation. Renovation work also encompassed the refurbishment of the listed former ABC Cinema which occupies a prominent location opposite Liverpool’s mainline station.Ash and Lacy worked closely with Anthony Brown to achieve his goal of creating a “Quantum Timeline”, the artist having meticulously researched the area’s history from Victorian times to the present day.Themes covered in the murals include the story of how Lime Street got its name, the Beatles’ song Maggie Mae, the famous old Guinness Clock and the ABC and Scala Super Cinemas. They are LED backlit at night to create an even more stunning effect.

A case study on applying acoustic roof systems in the Educational sector, with a detailed description of common project challenges and proven solutions offered by Ash & Lacy

The new £9.7 million Kitchen Garden Enclosure development at Cambridge’s Wellcome Trust Conference Centre, designed by Abell Nepp, features Ash & Lacy perforated panels that incorporate a complex wildlife illustration.

Metropolitan Works is London’s first Creative Industries Centre, offering digital manufacturing services, IT suites, training and workspace to local creative businesses and designers. Echoing the form-making processes undertaken at the Centre, the building was conceived as a series of interlocking volumes unified with a perforated aluminium cladding. On the ground floor level, a dramatic frieze by local artist Tom Price has been laser cut into the Ash & Lacy anodized aluminium panels to give the facade a sense of movement and life.

The ETB building is dedicated to research, development and demonstration (RD&D) in sustainable energy technologies. It incorporates energy efficient materials and is designed to minimise its demands for heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation. It actually produces more energy than it requires, heating the neighbouring Institute of Mental Health Building.Approximately 1000m2 of Ash & Lacy Façade was specified on the building’s two main elevations in the VariAL CF1 configuration. VariAL CF1 is a concealed-fix, baffle-jointed cassette rainscreen with a fully adjustable support system, primarily used for horizontal application on walls and for soffits. Designed to fit in with the high-tech building design and to appear to exude their own energy, the panels were manufactured in Alucobond Spectra Sacura ACM finish. This provides a quite stunning two-tone iridescent effect that shows ever changing hues of pink and silver that constantly vary as the angle of view or illumination changes.

As a consequence of the Grenfell tragedy, an assessment of the building envelope was carried out on the 275nr residential apartment block in the centre of Leeds. It was found to be non-compliant with current regulations and in urgent need of replacement.The VariAL-SF system was selected as it complied with an A2 fire rating, with EN13501-1 classification by third parties, and satisfied the detailed planning constraints.The importance of the cladding refurbishment and replacement on this high-rise residential building cannot be understated. The building was identified by West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service late in 2019 as being high risk from the perspective of residents safety, due to the fact it was clad in flammable panels and onus was placed on the building owner to take swift action to make the building safe. As such, an ambitious 52 week programme for complete removal of the existing cladding and replacement was set out and achieved by the project team, despite significant limitations in terms of access and logistical challenges.To the passer-by, there is barely any discernible difference in the aesthetic of the building’s new facade, the colour-matching of the panels is incredibly accurate and allowed for a seamless transition to a much safer environment for the building’s residents.The apartment block was in the middle of a built up residential area. The contractor needed to obtain road closures from Leeds city council for two main roads which ran the full length and one side elevation.Furthermore the other main elevation was a pedestrian walkway with access to the apartment block , a hotel and several commercial buildings therefore safe access routes and segregation had to be installed and coordinated with the various parties involved.In addition, the building had to be reclad using 125ft cherry pickers working off the main road and pedestrian walkways therefore protective tracking systems had to be laid over the tarmac and paving to protect the existing materials.Throughout the building refurbishment, which took exactly 52 weeks, access to all the various buildings was maintained and contractor site personnel worked closely with adjacent building owners and especially the management team of the apartment block which accommodated 270 apartments to ensure minimal disruption.

Project DescriptionThe new £180M RHSC facility has 1,800 rooms over 50,000m² in a modern and high-quality setting at Little France, Edinburgh. The five-storey building, has a large atrium with a shop and cafe, a stunning skylight linking both hospital entrances, a helipad on the roof and a link building adjoining adult and paediatric emergency departments.Specific Project ChallengesThe single largest ever BIM project undertaken by HLM ArchitectsA roof of highest quality to ensure best environment for patientsThe first acute hospital facility to be procured under the Scottish Government’s Non Profit Distributing Model (NPD)Solutions OfferedThe standing seam system incorporated a series of tapered and straight sheets to ensure that the curved roof plan was achieved without the need for junctions, as well as providing the platform for a vast array of photovoltaics, and a permanent roof access walkway.Ash & Lacy also supplied support in the form of site inspections throughout the construction process, design for roof tapers and all perimeter and feature fabrications and fasteners.

Visitors approaching the 25,000m2 Sandwell College building are immediately struck by the distinctive waveform roofs, featuring Ash & Lacy Standing Seam roof system in stucco-embossed aluminium. Pre-formed elements contribute to the high precision of concave areas and tight convex eaves. Ash & Lacy Standing Seam was installed as part of double-skin roof construction, including quilt insulation and liner panel, to achieve a U-value of 0.20 W/m2K.

Project DescriptionThe new £6M Savoy Cinema Multiplex is the latest phase in the transformation of the former Tresham College site, which has seen Corby Borough Council and the Homes and Communications Agency (HCA) merge their land to provide large-scale commercial development opportunities. Savoy Cinemas complex is capable of seating more than 900 people across six wall-to-wall screens in spacious, stadium seated auditoria.Specific Project ChallengesConsiderable budget restraints for envelope materialsExpedited 9-month build programmeBespoke, complex curved roof and façade designSolutions OfferedSite rolled top sheets were supplied to provide a continuous seamless finish to the standing seam roof, whilst also offering time savings against programme.2mm thick, anodised aluminium plank, supported by a bespoke helping hand support system, to provide a cost effective, yet flexible and accurate façade solutionA single point 25-year warranty covering roof and façade products, including interface detailing between systems.

Ash & Lacy supplied curved, expanded mesh Screen panels for a fantastic new office development to house some of the UK’s National Sports Governing Bodies, in Loughborough. Owned by Loughborough University and located on a gateway site to the University campus, SportPark plays host to various sporting organisations in 3 pavilions, over 4 storeys. The project was designed by David Morley Architects and the external envelope materials strike a balance between life span, low maintenance requirements and aesthetics.

Topping out at 64m tall, Furnival Square hosts a brand new £35 million, 445 bedroom, purpose built student accommodation building on a prime site in the heart of Sheffield City Centre, adjacent to the Sheffield Hallam University campus.Built by McAleer & Rushe and aptly named the ‘The Gate’, the 22 storey building offers modern, quality student accommodation to support Sheffield’s thriving higher education sector. The building is designed to a BREEAM Very Good rating, developed and detailed by TODD Architects using the latest in Revit and BIM technologies.The specification called for the use of special bricks that gave depth and texture to the external skin. The 22 storey student accommodation tower also had to comply with all current Building Height Regulations for residential use and the construction team was faced with the considerable additional challenge of completing the build during global pandemic restrictions.Ash & Lacy provided over 4,000m2 of the fully-tested noncombustible, mechanically-fixed NaturAL-X brick cladding system, suitable for residential buildings above 18m tall. The system is also CWCT A1-rated and BBA certified (20/5773). Brick choice was SD102 from the Simplicity range.This lightweight system offers fast and simple installation and enabled a large amount of labor to be completed offsite, improving time efficiencies on site and facilitating just in time delivery.Over 50,000 cut and bonded corner bricks were manufactured at our in house facility, creating the deep castellating reveals that sweep across the building elevations. Soffit bricks were designed and manufactured to return underneath window heads, providing a realistic genuine brick aesthetic at key interfaces, achieving the original design intent.

Known as The Silverstone Wing, in reference to its radical angles and elevations, the complex is the culmination of a series of enhancements to the iconic race track, bringing it up to the latest Grand Prix standards. The 390 metre-long building includes a totally new pit-lane area, with 41 new garages and a surface area covering 6,200m2, spectator and hospitality zones, a 2,780m2 Media Centre and a new race control tower.

The 8,500m2 Biosciences building is clad in silver anodised ACM panels generally 1.3m high and up to 6.4m long that work together to wrap around the complex elevations. Each individual panel purpose-made and pre-curved at Ash & Lacy’s West Bromwich site, to fit around and match the windows on the building. The protruding raked capping details were also manufactured in the same material, in order to provide a fully cohesive design. Original concept architects, Llewelyn Davies Yeang, specified 3,500m2 Ash & Lacy Facade for the extensive new build, to give the building an innovative and hi-tech finish, reflecting the standards of the department itself.The design of the seven-storey building responds to the constraints of a steeply sloping site divided by a service road creating staggered floor levels, interesting external spaces and a flowing façade. The science block also features a sedum green roof fitted with solar panels for the heating of domestic water contributing to the very good BREEAM rating it has secured.

Durability, safety and aesthetics needed to work together for the Viking House project. With the refurbishment nestled among conventionally built brick buildings there was a need for a contemporary look that mirrored the local vernacular. Viking House is a managed student accommodation development at the University of Lincoln. Made up of three five-storey buildings and standing 20m tall, it was designed to reflect the university’s continuing progress. Converted from several repurposed properties, the design of the buildings was in contrast to others in the largely traditional area of Brayford Wharf.One of the main challenges was the University’s desire to complete the project within only six months in order to accommodate the new intake of students at the start of the 2018/19 term, but without compromising on safety.Working in partnership with the Globe Consultants, Ash & Lacy proposed the use of its exclusive MechSlip façade. Developed in conjunction with Ibstock Kevington, MechSlip is a lightweight, mechanically fixed system that offers significant advantages including reduced installation times and associated costs, as well as being completely non-combustible and classified A1 to EN 13501-1 standards.

Winner of Best Refurbishment Project at the RCI Magazine Facade Awards 2021The original design concept for this 22-storey office tower refurbishment, including 439 contemporary micro-apartments, was based upon a construction method that did not work from a programme perspective, this part of the development was to propose an alternative construction method to achieve the same/similar aesthetics whilst ensuring the project requirements were met. The client understood from the outset, due to the nature of this scheme, that they needed to liaise with the supply chain and design team to ensure they could produce a design that was viable to construct. At this stage, the VariAL-H aluminium rainscreen cladding system became a key consideration as it offered a lightweight, flexible, safe and aesthetically-pleasing solution.Once the project team adopted this approach involving tailored panel shapes and configurations, they engaged the supply chain in project meetings from the design development stage and decided to produce on-site mock-ups, not only to benchmark the façade for the client, but also to trial the design to ensure the process capabilities and confirm that the finished product worked and would meet the design criteria. With minimal design tolerance, this was an invaluable exercise that allowed them to resolve any issues and to adapt the design to accommodate the on-site installation of the façade system leading to several mock-ups being produced before they were satisfied with the results. Furthermore, it allowed the wider supply chain to have their input and ensure that they were happy prior to them commencing the full works.The Wembley Point project posed difficult questions pre-construction and pre-contract award. Could the project team come up with a system that met budget requirement and aesthetic expectations, but also achieve a challenging programme that allowed the contractor to work “top down” and achieve water tight status floor by floor whilst fitting out internally?To meet the quality, time constraints and budget we engaged with Build-Therm Services and our wider supply chain from the moment we were invited to tender. In developing a competitive, supply chain led solution, it gave us the confidence to produce a solution which had not previously been offered by the ERS/Architects.Early engagement allowed us to have critical technical input at design meetings and assist with early design concepts. Innovative design development was an important factor in achieving client satisfaction and specialattention to detail was needed to address the unique aspect of the existing building design, balancing this with the architect’s design intent for the refurbishment.