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0720

12IS

S04

Vision

Issue 4

The creativity of brick

ConTenTColoPHonVision is a publication of:

Wienerberger ltd

Editors

Michael Driver

Sarah Jackson

Aparna Gondekar

Heather Butler

Photography

Andrew Smith, SG Photography

Design

Kingsford

SpringDesign, ‘s-Hertogenbosch

3

eDIToR’S noTeWelcome to the fourth edition of Wienerberger Vision.

We hope these five unique projects will delight and inspire the designers and

architects among you. Once again we have chosen schemes from across the UK,

featuring a variety of bricks and clay facings, giving you just a flavour of the vase

hundreds of products in the Wienerberger portfolio.

Anyone with an appreciation of heritage buildings will be interested in the Duchy of

Cornwall’s Poundbury development, with its mix of architectural styles and materials

and ethos of sustainable living. Opinions may differ but one element that demands

agreement from most is that quality and craftsmanship have been a constant.

For modernists we offer the geometric conformity of the Glenthorne High School

project, or the contemporary simplicity demonstrated by the residential Latitude

complex. Then new meets old with the striking new Bloc Hotel in Birmingham’s

historic Jewellery Quarter, while anyone with an eye for gleaming luxury should

be satisfied by this look at the stunning Savoy Hotel restoration. As ever, there is

something for everyone, enjoy!

The Savoy Hotel, LondonThe Pinnacle of Luxury 4

The Bloc Hotel, BirminghamChic and Stylish 8

Latitude Mixed Development, ManchesterBold and Confident 10

Housing Poundbury, DorsetA Rousing Reaction 14

Glenthorne High School, SuttonA Unique Identity 16

5

London’s Savoy Hotel has recently undergone a

multi-million pound refurbishment. Wienerberger

supplied the White Glazed Imperial Brick which was

a key element in the restoration of the façades of the

building.

Pierre Yves Rochon (Interiors), Reardon Smith (Architects)

Pierre Yves Rochon (Interiors), ReardonSmith (Architects)

and Buro Happold (Structural engineers) were the lead

consultants for the project which started on site in January

2008 and was completed by october 2010.

The Savoy Hotel was originally the brain-child of Richard

D’oyly Carte who built it with profits from the Gilbert and

Sullivan operas. He had already built the Savoy Theatre,

designed by C.J.Phipps and decorated by Collinson and

lock which was opened in 1881 on the site of the Savoy

Palace in the Stand. The theatre was the first public

building in the world to be lit by incandescent electric

lights and the hotel, which was built on an adjacent site,

also contained ground-breaking ideas. Thomas e. Colcutt

designed the hotel which was opened in August 1889, with

modern features that we would today take for granted,

such as electric lights, electric lifts (then called ‘ascending

rooms’) and en-suite bathrooms with hot and cold running

water. Richard D’oyly Carte’s ambition was to create a

luxury hotel that would rank with the best in the world.

The Pinnacle of Luxury

SAVoY HoTel, lonDon

He is widely thought to have achieved his ambition and

set a standard that has since been maintained because

the management has not been afraid to engage in major

restoration and refurbishment work.

In the 1920s the hotel was refitted to include air-

conditioning, steam heating and upgraded services

(including a telephone in every bathroom). Then, 84 years

later it was time for another major upgrade for this iconic

but aging edwardian building.

The original design had featured white glazed terracotta

blocks on the major elevations and, in order to maintain

the white glazed theme but reduce costs, Thomas Colcutt

had specified white –glazed bricks on the side elevations.

While Victorian architects used white-glazed bricks to

improve the quality of light in light-wells and other narrow

spaces, it was unusual to use the material as a component

of the external elevations of the building.

When the 2008 restoration started, all the external

elevations were scaffolded so the architects and structural

engineers were able to carry out a meticulous inspection

of all the components. Jim Ryan of ReardonSmith notes

that the original bricks, for which a match was required,

varied in glaze and base colour depending on the area of

the building.

7

Matching brick means not only matching the bricks but

also matching the pointing and this requires close control

of the dimensions of the new material. Strict planning

restrictions on the Grade II-listed building meant that all

materials had to match the existing and adjoining buildings,

with original building practices replicated throughout.

Jim Ryan, from ReardonSmith said: “The Savoy hotel

is something of a national treasure and one of the most

well-known hotels in the world. The restoration and

refurbishment of such a landmark needed meticulous

attention to detail and all building materials had to pass a

number of stringent requirements. The original brickwork

was also a specialist size and needed to be replicated.

Wienerberger demonstrated it was flexible and adaptive

enough to cope with these challenges and supplied a

product which met performance, regulatory and aesthetic

requirements.”

When the restoration was complete, hotel critics from all

over the world were unanimous in their praise. Jim Ryan

concluded: “Reopening the hotel and seeing people’s

reaction to its updated look was superb. Both the exterior

and the interior of the building have been completely

renewed and restored, enhancing the elegance and

glamour of the hotel and ensuring its longevity into the

21st Century.”

Architectural office:

ReardonSmith Architects

Facing bricks:

Terca - Imperial White Glazed

Chic and Stylish

BloC HoTel, BIRMInGHAM

11

The Bloc Hotel, developed and owned by Boxbuild is

on Caroline Street, St Paul’s Square in the heart of

Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, a location that was

to influence the appearance of the building designed

by architects Larry Priest & Garry Orton.

To anyone familiar with ocean cruises, the question ‘Do

you want an ‘outside’ or an ‘inside’ cabin?’ is understood

to mean a cabin with a port-hole or one without. Perhaps

it is surprising to be asked the same question when

booking a hotel in landlocked Birmingham, but the Bloc

hotel is built on the assumption that a view from your

room is not an essential pre-requisite of staying in a

city-centre hotel.

Boxbuild’s design philosophy is based on the idea that a

hotel should concentrate on fulfilling all the requirements

of a short-term visitor, good-sized comfortable beds,

power showers, high quality flat screen TV and fast

Wi-Fi, and ignoring many of the additional extras which

add expense and are relatively little used. Boxbuild

brought the same determination and clarity of thought

to the construction process. The belief that it was

possible to achieve a high standard of specification and

workmanship through the use of their own pre-fabricated

system lead to an order for the supply of ‘two room’

modules, delivered to site by lorry and craned into

position within a steel framework. The corridors arrived

as pre-fabricated cassettes which were also lifted into

position and fixed between the room modules. It took

24 weeks to complete the building working through the

winter of 2010-2011.

Architects Priest & Orton Norman were faced with a

number of architectural problems arising from the site

and its context, not least its most recent use as a petrol

station and location within a conservation area. The

planners were determined that any new building should

comply with the planning guidelines for the Jewellery

Quarter. Brick was seen as the preferred material for the

façades, and although cladding a number of identical

pre-fabricated units would seem to suggest a regular

pattern of fenestration, nevertheless the planners

suggested that the size and proportions of the openings

and the spaces between them should change from floor

to floor to reflect the pattern established by surrounding

buildings. The windows are a standard size but by

recessing them into the elevation and by introducing a

trim between the window and the brickwork opening,

it was possible to create a variety of dimensions on

Hectic Black is a recent addition to the Wienerberger

range. It is a deep blue-grey colour with a heavily

textured surface. The brick is treated in a post-

manufacturing process which involves soaking

the bricks in petrol and setting them alight. This

treatment produces the distortions of the face which

give the brick its unique character.

ThE conTEmPorary look

13

the façade. At ground level the trim panel is below the

windowsill, while at first and second floor it is above the

window head. The third floor windows have no panel so

that the impression of diminishing dimensions as the eye

travels up the building is achieved.

Obviously brick, with its inherent flexibility of dimensions,

was a sound choice to use for the external elevations.

The selection of the brick was as radical as the rest

of the design. It would have been easy to opt for a

conventional red-buff brick secure in the knowledge

that it would fit easily into its surroundings. However

the architects noted that blue-black engineering brick

had also been used in the Jewellery Quarter so they

suggested Wienerberger’s ‘Hectic Black’. It was an

inspired choice, supported by the planners, because

what is predominantly a dark, textured brick has paler

highlights that give it a liveliness that is absent from

traditional engineering bricks. It forms a good contrast to

the smooth golden surface of the trim panels and gives

the building the distinctive appearance that the originality

of its design deserves.

Architectural office:

Bryant Priest newman

Facing bricks:

Terca - Hectic Black

17

Jane Jacobs in her book ‘The Death and Life of Great

American Cities’ (1961) argued for complexity in city

life, applauding the way in which a mix of uses drove

activity in the streets at different times of the day.

‘A city is a lattice not a grid’ she wrote, suggesting

that the overlapping of functions which she observed

in vibrant cities was one of the reasons for their

success.

Bromsgrove Street is within the rapidly emerging Chinese

Quarter of Birmingham, five minutes’ walk from the Bull

Ring retail development and new Street Station. Until

recently it was an area considered unsuitable for housing,

but a change of heart with city planners has allowed

residential development in this part of the city centre.

Together with adjacent housing schemes, these new

homes will all play their part in invigorating the centre of

Birmingham.

‘latitude’, developed as a joint venture between Taylor

Woodrow and Balli Real estate (BAlI) and designed by

architects Powell Dobson, comprises 189 apartments, 10

ground floor retail units and two levels of car parking that

Bold and Confident

lATITUDe MIxeD DeVeloPMenT, BIRMInGHAM

creates a podium around which many of the apartments

are grouped. There is mix of studio, one and two bedroom

units over seven floors.

The architects were faced with the problem of designing

a city centre building yet at the same time creating an

identifiable place to live. The site runs east/west and the

main frontage is to Bromsgrove Street on the north side,

but it extends down Hurst Street in the west and Pershore

Street in the east. Since the street pattern would remain

unchanged it was decided to locate the building to the

‘back of flag’, that is right on the edge of the existing

pavement to all three streets. not only does this allow the

retail units maximum floor area but it also maintains the

city pattern of shops flanking the pavement. Access to the

housing is provided by three lifts and stair towers which

are entered from the pavement.

The design of the elevations was always going to be

challenging. Adjacent housing schemes have taken the

‘warehouse’ model of solid brick walls built to the ‘back

of flag’ with windows punched in the brickwork at regular

intervals. Further up Hurst Street there was no requirement

19

for retail space and the site was deeper so it was possible

to push the development to the edge of the site and open

up a central court. However, at latitude the retail space

creates voids at street level while above there is a mixture of

different sized units. Powell Dobson solved the dilemma by

creating a brick clad, city scaled grid which hovers above

the retail units. The vertical columns are seven bricks wide

with horizontal bands five courses high defining the floor

levels. Within the grid there are polyester powder-coated

window modules with insulated intermediate panels. The

powder coating is toned to match the glazing which

reinforces the visual strength of the brick grid.

The decision to use a brick grid has been justified by the

choice of brick. The Cranbrook Red from Wienerberger’s

Sandown works is one of the range of Terca bricks. It has a

strong red hue with a dragwire textured surface which gives

the building a bold confident presence.

Architectural office:

Powell Dobson

Facing bricks:

Cranbrook Red

The majority of bricks manufactured in the U.K.

are made by the extrusion process. The clay is

compressed and then released through an extrusion

die, like toothpaste from a tube. The continuous

column of clay is then cut into sections about

800mm long which are then cut by wires into brick-

sized units, hence the alternative name of ‘wire-cut’

for bricks made by this process

ExTruDED/WirEcuT Bricks

22

Poundbury, an urban extension to the historic town of

Dorchester in Dorset, is architectural Marmite, many

love it, many hate it and few are undecided. This

polarisation of opinion makes it an interesting place to

visit, particularly if you accept that you are still viewing

‘work in progress’. The town lies within the lands

of the Duchy of Cornwall, administered on behalf of

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

The buildings by C.G. Fry & Son which contain shops with

offices and apartments above are situated on the B 3150, the

Bridport Road that passes through the middle of Poundbury

westwards from Dorchester. Housing is developed to the

north and south of the B 3150 and eventually this area will

be Poundbury’s High Street hence the buildings are scaled

to acknowledge the importance of their location.

Poundbury has been developed to provide homes for more

than 5,000 people and employment for 2,000. The design

seeks to implement the principles expounded in the Prince

of Wales’s book ‘A Vision for Britain’ (1989). While it relies

for the most part on traditional forms and materials, the

town is designed to be an integrated community of shops,

businesses and housing, both social and private, configured

in a high density urban pattern and meeting the demands

of modern life.

The development started in 1992 with Poundbury Phase 1,

containing 600 new homes, offices and shops. Work has

continued through successive phases and it is anticipated

that final completion will not be reached until 2025. Therefore

it will be some years until final judgements can be made.

The architectural debate as to whether or not Poundbury

is ‘merely pastiche’ or a serious attempt to create an

integrated community in which it is a pleasure to live, has

years to run. However, there is no doubt that some of the

charm of an ‘english Town’ is encapsulated in the surprising

juxtaposition of building types and styles; nevertheless it

requires skill to create the deliberately unexpected.

C.G. Fry & Son is a long-established business which started

in 1918 when 19-year-old Charles George Fry joined his

father George in the village, undertaking business in litton

Cheney, Dorset. Charles’s son eddy became involved in the

1950s and since then his son Philip has joined the business.

The company has been building at Poundbury ever since the

successful tender for Phase 1.

The shops and offices along the Bridport Road/High

Street have a strong urban character. The upper floors

have generous floor to floor heights and external brick

walls in which the openings are subservient to the wall

surface. However at the ground floor the wide shop

fronts are so generous that any illusion of this being a

masonry load-bearing building is dispelled. nevertheless

the construction of the buildings has been carried out with

care and precision. The formation of the window openings

and archways is proof of C.G. Fry & Sons claim that the

company specialises in traditional craftsmanship with the

best of contemporary building techniques.

The bricks which are used throughout this particular element

of the scheme are Wienerberger’s classic St Johns Red

handmade and soft yellow Smeed Dean london stocks,

which are made in the same Kent factory as the original

london stock bricks that were used to build Buckingham

Palace. The St Johns Red handmade was ideal for this

heritage project, thanks to the creased texture and the rich,

red finish, while the more muted Smeed Dean london Stock

with its smooth, natural edges, created beautiful walls full of

character. As both are manufactured by Wienerberger in

the UK, they also benefit from being accredited to the BeS

6001 Responsible Sourcing standard which gives additional

points under the Code for Sustainable Homes and fulfils

part of the Poundbury ethos of building sustainably.

Architectural office:

CG Fry

Facing bricks:

St Johns Red Handmade & Smeed Dean london

A Rousing Reaction

HoUSInG PoUnDBURY, DoRSeT

15

922

Glenthorne High School in Sutton, Surrey, is a school

with a long and rich history in the local community.

Founded on the Glastonbury Road site in 1933, the

school moved to the Sutton Common Road site in

1958 and was, at this time, called Sutton Common

County Secondary Girls’ School; a small girls’ school

for less than 400 pupils. It changed its name to

Glenthorne in 1982 and it wasn’t until 1993 that it

became co-educational.

The school today is a thriving, highly successful, mixed

comprehensive school for 1,300 pupils between the ages

of 11 and 19. It is a Specialist Arts College, a Training

School and an Applied learning School.

like many schools that have expanded, Glenthorne has

commissioned a number of buildings through the years.

An architectural historian would find ample scope in

comparing and contrasting the materials, construction

techniques and programmes that have been used on

successive projects.

The Jubilee Wing was commissioned in 2008 to provide

teaching accommodation, a sixth-form area and an

opportunity Base for pupils with mild Autistic Spectrum

Disorder (ASD). It was named ‘Jubilee’ to mark the 50th

anniversary of the school moving to its present site in 1958.

The major consultants were Scott Wilson (architects and

structural engineers), MeA Consultants (cost), Graham

Powell (M&e) and the main contractor was Sunninghill

Construction Co ltd.

Scott Wilson was asked to prepare a feasibility report

which identified a site, a budget and suggest a number

of ways in which the building could incorporate features

to reduce running costs and match the sustainability

credentials required by the client.

It is often difficult to find a site within a complex of buildings

that has been developed over the years but a space

surrounded by buildings on three sides with a fourth side

open was found. not only was it convenient for the rest of

the school but by building on the open side, the design

created an external courtyard which formed an identifiable

space of its own, rather than merely a route between

buildings.

Although the school has developed over time, architects

have been consistent in their use of brick for the external

façades of succeeding buildings. The bricks are different on

each building but they are all from the red/brown register

giving each building its own identity, while conforming to a

uniform pattern.

Scott Wilson chose to continue this tradition and selected

Wienerberger’s ‘Weald Red Multi Stock’ which has been

used in conjunction with white rendered panels on the

courtyard elevation of the building. The panels are an

interesting addition because, as they run from ground to

roof, they remove the horizontal banding prevalent in other

buildings. By opening away from the facade they create a

sense of privacy to the room within.

The mechanical services introduce ground-source heat

pumps which are linked to solar thermal panels on the

roof providing heating and hot water for the wing. In using

Wienerberger’s Weald Red Multi Stock brick, the designers

also embedded additional sustainable credentials into

the building. Clay bricks, as a natural material, are all

A+ rated with the BRe, as their longevity and durability

require less repair and rebuilding than other products

and can be fully recycled at the end of their lifespan,

making them a truly sustainable option. In addition, these

particular bricks benefit from BeS 6001 Responsible

Sourcing accreditation with due consideration to materials

& resources throughout the supply chain.

The building sits easily with its neighbours in the rest of the

school. It is interesting to speculate what a structure built

in 2058 to celebrate the centenary of the move would look

like. one thing is for certain, however, and that is the bricks

used throughout the rest of the school would still have

years of life left in them, and those on the Jubilee wing will

still look as good as the day they were laid. And that, more

than anything, is sustainability in action

Architectural office:

Scott Wilson

Facing bricks:

Weald Red

A Unique Identity

GlenTHoRne HIGH SCHool, SUTTon