Following Michelmersh’s success at the 2017 Brick Awards, where it was crowned winner of several categories, including Best Urban Regeneration & Large Housing Development (above 25 units) and the coveted Supreme Winner, Britain’s Brick Specialist would like to commend all parties involved with the prestigious South Gardens project. Especially designer, Maccreanor Lavington Architects; brickwork contractor, Lee Marley Brickwork Ltd; bespoke brickwork fabricator, LiteSpeed and supplier, Taylor Maxwell for their combined efforts and dedicated contribution towards the fantastic South Gardens development, an exemplar urban regeneration scheme by Lend Lease.
Dan Clarkson, Joint Managing Director of Lee Marley Brickwork said: “From the perspective of a specialist brickwork contractor, South Gardens was a dream project. Lend Lease and its architect developed a scheme with brick as its core feature, in a highly detailed and intricate design, on a scale rarely seen in modern construction. It was clear that an exceptional level of both craftsmanship and materials would be required. The stock bricks from Michelmersh’s Freshfield Lane facility were key in ensuring that the design sat well within the context of the Victorian neighbourhood. The scheme had many layers of complexity; it was huge, 1.3 million bricks of 9 different types were laid, and all the blocks were built concurrently. It was built on a constrained urban site, which required just-in-time deliveries due to a lack of storage and there was a significant use of offsite manufacturing/preparation, with brick clad lintels and soffits, as well as a large quantity of special and cut bricks.
Michelmersh, with its production and logistical expertise was a vital part of the success of this build. Bricks were blended and stored at Michelmersh’s Freshfield Lane site, and then the various brick types were delivered daily to suit the work in progress on each façade. The Michelmersh team also developed a superb relationship with our offsite supply chain to support the delivery of those items. The brick was a pleasure to work with and it has proved to be the perfect foil for the high-quality work produced by our staff. The success of this project at the Brick Awards and the recognition from our peers within the industry on the quality of our work is something that Lee Marley Brickwork is immensely proud of and it is testament to the hard work and skill of our staff.”
Mark Richards from LiteSpeed continued: “We are delighted to have played our part in supplying prefabricated brick specials, using a variety of Michelmersh’s high-quality products, to build South Gardens, which has consequently won the ultimate Supreme Winner accolade at this year’s Brick Awards.”
Frank Hanna, Joint Chief Executive Officer of Michelmersh, commented: “South Gardens is a tremendous example of collaborative working between manufacturer, supply chain, bespoke fabricator and specialist brickwork contractor as the end user. The outcome of this prestigious, award winning project highlights our skill set in terms of producing unique, bespoke products to achieve clients’ aims and fulfil their unparalleled design intent. This unique masterplan, which is set to deliver almost 2,500 new homes in Elephant Park, London, showcases how excellent planning from the manufacturer from the very beginning, in conjunction with our meticulous select order process, has paid dividends with the final results.
“We are extremely proud to have supplied a wide variety of our Freshfield Lane clay facing bricks to complement the impeccable design. South Gardens is a mark of Lend Lease’s commitment to sustainable building practices and above all, it is a fantastic example of contemporary urban planning and regeneration, which ultimately creates high-quality, comfortable homes, to nurture strong rooted communities for future generations.”
