Marshalls plc

The A259 is a busy road that runs along the south coast passing through Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex and part of Kent. The Highways Agency wanted to put measures in place that would improve part of the road close to the village of Guestling Green near Hastings. To make it more reliable and safe for users, the project involved resurfacing to prolong the life of the carriageway and also required a more effective drainage system...

The £30 million Barbara Hepworth Building at the University of Huddersfield houses the School of Art, Design and Architecture for the University. Named after the famous Yorkshire-born sculptor, this new addition to the campus represents an excellent achievement in modern architecture and can be found by the side of the canal that runs through the University.Working closely with Morgan Sindall Construction and AHR Architects, OOBE were tasked to deliver a landscape masterplan for the new addition to the University’s campus. The brief was to design a landscape that fitted seamlessly with the industrial context of the building and natural nearby environment, whilst providing opportunities for students and faculty to socialise.OOBE incorporated the significant level changes between the building and canal into the design, developing several terrace spaces into this previously underused space. The internal environment also inspired the landscape design, which includes a new plaza and sculpture court that wraps around the building, helping showcase the University’s innovation and creativity.As a neighbour of the University of Huddersfield, with our head office being only five miles away, Marshalls has been a proud supplier for a large number of the University’s outdoor spaces for years, and we are thrilled to supply our British-made Modal Concrete Paving for the hard landscaping around this new, iconic building.We spoke to Mike Goodall, the Director of OOBE, about their work on the canal-side and his choice of materials “We had to make sure that the landscape design for the canal side sat in harmony with this award-winning building, its surroundings and wider masterplan proposals, including work around the main entrance carried by other landscape architects. By incorporating the same high-quality, durable landscaping materials used across the campus from Marshalls, it was great to find the right product from their range of options that complemented the building and helped bring to life this vastly inspirational space.”

US aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, officially opened its first European manufacturing site in Sheffield in 2020. The £40m plant, covers 6,200m² and is responsible for making actuation system components for the 737 and 767 aircraft from raw materials sourced in the UK.The site, designed by D5 architects and installed by the main contractor J F Finnegan, followed the brief of functional adaptability, employee wellbeing and sustainability.Marshalls’ hard landscaping products were used for the forecourt, pathways and surrounding carpark to the building. Modal in Textured Mid Grey Granite paved around the entranceway and paths, while Modal Priora in Anthracite was used in some detailed areas. For the car parking spaces, Keyblok Priora in Natural was used alongside Charcoal to help define parking spaces and illustrate car charging and disabled bays.The use of Priora permeable paving supports the sustainable drainage for this project, the patented nib on the edge of the blocks creates voids through which water falls into a specially prepared sub-base, making this project free of surface water for years to come.

Brentford Market Place was one of the main areas scheduled to be redeveloped as part of a wider scheme to entice people back into the town centre. ‘Making the connection’ is a project set up to improve Brentford town, funded by the Mayor’s outer London fund. The aim of the scheme is to attract people to Brentford High Street, one of West London’s most historic and diverse shopping areas, by improving the public realm space and creating a new route for walkers and cyclists along the Grand Union Canal, between Great West road and Brentford High Street.

Opened in September 2014, Solent Enterprise Zone is home to Fareham College’s Centre of Excellence for Engineering, Manufacturing and Advanced Skills Technology (CEMAST) providing training opportunities for 900 students. It also includes the new Fareham innovation centre providing small workshops and office space for start-up and micro businesses on easy-in, easy-out terms.Around this innovative new build, creative use of hard landscaping was required to enhance the site, to develop and identify areas within the perimeter for pedestrian use, to contribute to safety underfoot on flights of steps and around the bicycle shelter areas as well as providing sustainable urban drainage solutions (SuDS) for the approach to the site and within the car park.In the showpiece location at the approach to the college and inside the grounds around the planted beds and seating areas, Pallas and La Linia block paving have been installed. These elegant, high performance combined concrete block and paving ranges use high quality exposed aggregates across Client: Fareham College Contractor: Woodman Civil Engineering & Leadbitter Construction Products Used: Pallas & La Linia Block Paving, Priora Permeable Block Paving, Tegula Block Paving, Keyblok Block Paving, Saxon Paving and Conservation Kerb a broad range of integrated plan sizes to create striking visual effects. La Linia is a subtly textured paving range ideal for pedestrian areas in contemporary civic and retail schemes which is also suitable for occasional vehicular overrun. Pallas successfully combines vivid colour with a highly polished texture designed to accent contemporary architecture and enhance landscapes with a modern feel. Also on the approach to the college and around the bicycle shelters, Marshalls Saxon Textured Flag Paving has been specified. Saxon is blended with a hard Yorkstone aggregate to deliver a unique surface finish, whilst the consistency of the textured surface ensures superb durability and non-slip properties. This paving has also been installed on flights of steps within the development, incorporating tactile flags at the top and the base of the steps together with visibility strips for safety and performance. In areas around the car park, Marshalls Priora has been selected. Priora is Marshalls’ original Concrete Block Permeable Paving (CBPP) system, combining the ever popular aesthetics of Keyblok block paving with a sourcecontrol sustainable urban drainage system (SuDS). Priora brings together excellent aesthetics and flood risk mitigation, removing surface water without the need for additional linear drainage systems.Hard landscaping at Fareham College has successfully enhanced the areas surrounding the buildings as well as contributing towards improving aesthetics within the college grounds and promoting pedestrian safety. Use of Priora within the car parking areas has ensured compliance with local building regulations in terms of the installation of naturally permeable surfaces.

The Science Village at Chesterford Research Park is a thriving scientific community, home to ultra-modern and energy-efficient laboratory and office space within the attractive setting of open parkland, an arboretum and lakes.Vehicular circulation, parking and pedestrian circulation were important to the scheme and formed the main body of the external works.The architect Davis Landscape Architecture selected a number of Marshalls’ flag and block paving products for the scheme - Saxon and Keyblok.The hard landscaping perfectly complements the state-of the- art facilities but doesn’t detract from the beauty of the landscape with a carefully selected palette of materials and colours.

The award winning new Vijay Patel building is the bold centerpiece of DMU’s £136million campus transformation project. The tower houses all of the university’s art and design faculties under one roof – so it’s only fitting that the surrounding landscaping should reflect the creative nature of the students using it.The project was made up of three main areas which had multi-uses – the Arts Tower development, the Design Wing and the Food Court. Other changes include open parkland along Mill Lane leading to the edge of the River Soar, creating a new gateway connecting the city’s West End to the city centre. One of the main advantages of the new campus is that it brings all the different areas, under one roof, making it a lot more accessible and convenient for the for the students.Designer Plincke Manchester blended a range of Marshalls paving products to create different textures within the landscape, which help to delineate multi-use spaces.Different sizes of the new Modal paving, part of the internationally recognised La Linia range have been juxtaposed, with long flag units used to complement the lines of the central tower and smaller Conservation X Setts to designate walkways.

Major work has been carried out by the Derwent Group on the Liverpool Edge Lane Retail Park. This regeneration work was something quite different to the other schemes in the city, with its vibrant mix of retailers, aspirational food and beverage brands and leisure operators as well as free parking for 1500 cars and great transport links.As part of the major regeneration project a new B&Q store relocated to the new retail park with an enlarged store including new kitchen and bathroom showrooms, aiming to give its customers an upgraded shopping experience. Marshalls were hugely excited to provide the landscaped area to the front of the store and to help enhance this overall shopping experience.The approach was taken to ensure that the Liverpool Shopping Park had a transformative effect on this part of the city and bring a much needed and exciting leisure and retail experience to the market.The development of the 49,000 square foot B&Q store at Edge Lane is one of the first B&Qs in the country to feature a new layout and refreshed departments, therefore the landscaped paved areas at the front of the store needed to match up to the exception internal standards and make a real visual and striking impression.Marshalls was enlisted to supply Modal paving, part of the internationally recognised La Linia range & Myriad paving, in a mix of grey tones and multi-sized paving units to achieve this visual landscape brief that the client was looking for.

Opened in September 2012, the brand new £6.5m Endike Primary school provides a modern learning environment for 420 pupils aged three to 11 and 26 nursery school places. As part of the Government’s ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme the project involved the design and detailing of a three-storey primary school building, which would eventually replace the existing 80 year old school, providing considerable improvements to educational facilities in the local area. It was key for Marshalls to achieve product options which satisfied the designer’s aspirations whilst also considering budgets and timescales to suit the client...

he Great Blakenham incinerator plant is a joint initiative between Suffolk County Council and waste management company SITA UK. This energy-from-waste facility uses the household and business waste left after recycling, burning materials which would otherwise go to landfill, and generates enough electricity to power 30,000 homes. Although operations carried out at the plant are largely industrial, the appearance of the building itself including the suspended, glass fronted office section required hard landscaping to increase overall aesthetics, as well as providing a SuDS solution to ensure safe and practical surface water removal in the car parking areas...

The Heartlands world heritage site was the result of the long held ambition to redevelop the site of Robinsons tin mine shaft near Pool in West Cornwall. When choosing materials for this feature the colour choice was obvious. After considering several red options the choice was made to use an specific all red Porphyry. The material is very consistently red and the flame texturing required to make this safe for pedestrians has little effect on the colour. When wet the red stone is further enhanced and becomes a truly red river.

Doncaster Council sought out to develop a new leisure destination that complements the existing attractions in the nearby lakeside area.The new £7.7m retail park is a new destination where people can enjoy restaurants and leisure facilities next to the existing VUE cinema at the popular Lakeside in Doncaster.This development includes Europe’s first-ever Drive-Thru Dunkin’ Donuts, as well as a mix of local and national fast food outlets. These buildings are surrounded by service yards and 181 parking spaces, nine of which are electric car charging points.The green potential for the Herten Triangle was high on the agenda. The space includes sustainably-sourced timber-clad elevations, solar PV arrays, over 5000 plants and shrubs and 120 trees.Working with Willmott Dixon as the main contractor, Smeeden Foreman delivered hard and soft landscape designs for the external works for this new development.A whole host of Marshalls products were used for this project to help bring a modern and appealing feel to the complex. Modal textured in Light Granite, Anthracite Granite, Silver Grey Granite, Indian Granite and Mid Grey Granite were used in the light trafficked areas around the buildings. Saxon paving in Natural was used on the pathways in the social areas. Keyblok in Natural, Charcoal, Brindle and our White Marker blocks were used for the car parking bays. All of the above were installed alongside Conservation X and British Standard kerbs and edging, as well as Blister Paving for crossing areas.Neil Tyler the Senior Build Manager at Willmott Dixon had this to say:“The service provided by Marshalls was excellent, particularly with the quantities of paving required in a relatively short period of time. The quality of finish and dimensional accuracy of the products is also very good, and was recognised by all involved.”All manufactured in mainland UK, the products have provided a functional and aesthetic outcome for this retail space that is perfect for the public to use and enjoy.Imagery: Marshalls and some supplied from Smeeden Foreman

Islington Square is a mixed-use development offering over 250 apartments as well as retail and leisure facilities in this Islington suburb just north of the Thames. At the site of the former North London Royal Mail sorting office, this Grade 2 listed building is a monument to Edwardian architecture, and the renovation of this square brings together the old and new, building a timeless community feel for residents and visitors.Main contractors, Galliard Construction worked with Kilhan Construction for the hard and soft landscaping in the public and residential areas, focusing on building the perfect connection between the apartments, shops and restaurants as well as the communal gardens and outdoor spaces. The crowning social hub is the summer terrace, which is a relaxing outdoor retreat of flowers and deckchairs, away from the hustle and bustle of the high street.Marshalls supplied Modal Textured in Anthracite Granite and Mid Grey Granite for the roads and pathways, these two colours were chosen to contrast perfectly for this ‘pixelated’ paving effect, creating a wonderful contemporary design for the dedicated pedestrian areas. Conservation X kerbs and steps were used for the delineation of the paving as well as the sectioning of the multi-levelled areas - as one of our more design-leading kerb options; Conservation X provided a functional and complementary addition to this overall design, tying together nicely with the Modal paving.Peter Conway from Kilhan said, "The project design was quite complex with a lot of intricate detailing and various products being matched together, however working in unison with Marshalls, who were extremely helpful throughout, made the project delivery seamless. As you can see the finished product looks amazing, I’m sure the residents on the development and in the surrounding areas are delighted with how well it looks."When completed back in 2019, this renovation had proven both creative and inspiring, and Marshalls were proud to have supplied products that contributed to this perfect example of a mixed-use environment. Even when we returned to photograph in 2021, the community feel of the square was very apparent, with still plenty to enjoy at the markets, shops, cinema and even yoga to take part in. This development has built a lasting neighbourhood ethos and established a personality for the square, with its own website and social media platform to boot.

Kingsmead Business Park in High Wycombe provides an ideal environment for today’s businesses, with some 150,000ft2 of flexible office space and excellent transport links. This purpose built business park, designed around a central courtyard, was due for a refurbishment, involving significant investment in its amenity offer and environment, incorporating the construction of a new café, entrance, lighting and associated hard landscaping. The owners were seeking to improve facilities for tenants and visitors and create a focal point in the heart of the complex.

West Lindsay Council sought out to build a new crematorium for the area, as statistics showed that 75% of funerals are now cremations. The £6.3m site is state-of-the-art and includes landscaped grounds, remembrance gardens filled with young trees and wildflower meadows, a reflection pool, a car park for 120 vehicles and ample space for further development if necessary; to include a second chapel if there is demand.The new crematorium will be welcome to all forms of religious and/or secular services. With beautiful views of the woodland across Nottinghamshire, this facility will help make a real difference to residents at difficult times in their lives.With the building itself boasting modern design, the chosen paving materials for the hard landscaping were chosen to help complement the rural nature of the area and make the best use of the natural boundaries.Modal textured in Charcoal Grey Granite and Oatmeal Granite were used alongside Myriad Sunlight for the pristine entranceway, working brilliantly with the warm tones of the building and soft landscaping in the surrounding area.Main contractor, Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd. alongside Haverstock as the architects, carried out the project.The result was a warm and beautiful landscaped area. The combination of sizes and colours create an unmissable entranceway that is modern and welcoming. The facilities are now open to the public to provide a much-needed service for local’s in a tasteful and well-designed environment.Images supplied by West Lindsey Council

Landscape architects LDA Design were given the brief by Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, a charitable organisation which owns and manages a large part of the garden city, to improve and enhance a substantial area within the town centre. Marshalls’ landscaping products fulfilled an important part of the brief, which was to provide an aesthetically pleasing area within the town centre, which attracted shoppers and visitors and acted as a focal point and meeting place where events, such as street markets, concerts and shows could be held. The scheme therefore required high quality paving materials ...

ISG has reached a key construction milestone at its £66+ million Exhibition Centre Liverpool and Pullman hotel development. The Exhibition Centre Liverpool has more than doubled the existing 7,125 sqm capacity at ACC Liverpool to 15,225 sq m of flexible exhibition space.The regeneration of this development has linked to the existing arena and convention centre, making the building the only purpose-built arena, convention and exhibition centre in Europe. Architects Denton Corker have created a striking off-set, rectangular ‘tube’ design for the new concrete frame hotel, looking out over the stunning vista across the River Mersey and the city’s UNESCO World Heritage site.In order to complement the striking architecture, Marshalls was approached to supply the new Modal paving, part of the internationally recognised La Linia range. The broad range of tones and plan sizes meant eye-catching patterns and blends could be employed around the contemporary new building to great effect.A range of other Marshalls products including the contemporary Conservation paving, kerbs and steps were also used to complement the areas around the scheme and help create this striking landscaped area.The new Exhibition Centre has helped to secure Liverpool’s place as one of the top visitor destinations in the UK. This great new facility has become the jewel in Liverpool’s expo crown and has further enhanced the city’s global events and conference reputation.The stunning landscaped areas around the architecture has helped to create an impressive, integrated, cohesive scheme that has created a truly creative visual impact.

The Met Office’s new state of the art building in Exeter Science Park features a large IT hall, along with a striking two-story ‘collaboration’ building, which will be a home for world-class research into climate change. In order to create a contemporary design which blended in with the natural landscape, Marshalls’ assisted the landscape design team in selecting the Prospero, Thalassa and Tritanial granites due to their complimentary tones and textures which matched the contemporary architectural design which juxtaposed with seminaturalised areas of sweeping soft landscaping and semi-mature native tree planting.

The new site comprises a 20-cell custody suite and a three-storey office building, which accommodates more than 300 officers and staff and provides both Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, which shares the office building, with modern, 21st century facilities. Marshalls provided a range of products from the Landscape Protection portfolio for the exterior space, including Geo bollards, Geo seating, a Pluto cycle shelter and bespoke concrete planters. Due to the security required around this sensitive building it was important that the items of furniture specified had the required protection against potential accidental or criminal damage ...

As part of the £200m New Waverly development of Edinburgh’s historic old town, a new Premier Inn was commissioned. Overlooking the characterful Royal Mile, the exterior facade of the new building had to seamlessly integrate old with new. The design of the building takes a traditional sandstone material and combines with glass and aluminum to form a stunning, contemporary finish. The striking colouration of Stanton Moor sandstone features a buff base with brown and gold variation, matching closely with the materials used in the historic city. Carboniferous sandstone from Stanton Moor quarry. A buff sandstone with technical properties....

Marshalls were approached by London based Architects ACME in early 2015 to discuss the supply of multiple shades of grey granite for Victoria Gate’s original flooring plan. Following a series of meetings and discussions, Marshalls were able to achieve the vision of the project designer, providing a blend of 13 precision-cut granites all complying with the relevant performance criteria, and delivered by Marshalls’ managed supply chain. The scheme was ultimately delivered over a period of 5 months including 3000m2 of polished granites and specialist bespoke granite staircase features.