Norwood Road
UPWARD EXTENSIONS WITH EUROBRICK
Adding floors to buildings can be a complicated process , particularly as far as the foundations are concerned , but lightweight cladding systems can help to simplify the process . Eurobrick has been leading the brick slip cladding sector for nearly 30 years and has seen an increase in upward extension projects , which are a great solution where space is limited . Director Richard Haines outlines the challenges faced on some recent projects that chose to build upwards ,
Pechiney House
“ Recently , our systems have been used in two challenging upward extension projects that have given older properties a new lease of life as residential apartments .
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One of those projects was on Norwood Road in South East London and involved the redevelopment of an existing commercial building . The original building included a large ground floor retail unit with snooker club and offices above . The proposal was to demolish the upper floors and build nine new residential apartments over the retail unit .
This project was particularly challenging because the retailer had to continue trading throughout the build . And although they wanted to add two floors above the retail unit , the existing foundations and structure of the building could not be altered . A lightweight solution was required so Eurobrick ’ s P-Clad system was specified .
The new parts of the building were constructed with an insulated timber frame with an exterior sheathing . This is a faster construction technique than traditional building methods and was important for minimising disruption to the retailer and its customers . The project was finished externally with brick and render . Our P-Clad system was used with a special order brick slip alongside render panels to create a distinctive mixed finish to the building .
Pechiney House was the second ambitious project , involving the conversion and redevelopment of a 2-storey office building into residential apartments by adding a 4-storey upward extension to the existing building . This time Eurobrick ’ s X-Clad system was the lightweight solution that helped to simplify the process . It was attached to a ply panel on the lightweight steel frame construction , reducing the overall weight of the upward extension considerably .
The resulting redevelopment of 42 new residential units , including studios and 1 & 2 bed apartments , was completed at the end of last year . The mixed palette of finishes , using both bricks and timber , created a contemporary look that was sympathetic to the original building .”
Eurobrick provide flexible brick slip cladding solutions for all types of projects offering a quick , easy and robust solution . Brick slip cladding is durable and will weather and age in the same way as conventional brickwork , requiring little to no maintenance . Eurobrick ’ s systems are BBA certified and they also offer a 25 year product guarantee . For more information please visit www . eurobrick . co . uk .