Little Gearies, Barkingside

Case Study

Little Gearies, Barkingside

ILFORD, LB RedBRIDGE

Little Gearies is a newbuild development of 103 homes arranged in five buildings – a mix of flats, houses and maisonettes, commissioned by the London Borough of Redbridge, including a number built through the Affordable Homes Programme.

The facade contract covered the two new 6-storey apartment blocks, each providing 35 units with feature entrance portals and roof terraces, see Drone Footage of the completed development and the original artist’s impressions.

A ‘burnt orange’ clay hung tile was specified to clad the apartment blocks, for which Argeton terracotta was chosen, using Danza tiles with a brushed finish.

Aluminium panels in umbra grey were installed around the main entrance portals, with umbra grey aluminium flashings to the internal sides of the roof terrace (loggia) columns and for all the windows flashings.

Grey rockpanel panels were installed to the rear walls and soffits of the roof terraces.

Two A²O site managers were recognised by client Hills Group with a Supervisor’s League Award for health and safety and good all round management.

Photo Credits: Paul Lindup, AIR Solutions Group & Avanti Architects.

HILL PARTNERSHIPS

"A²O were appointed to the project after the original cladding contractor went into liquidation.
A²O took on and progressed design prior to starting on site and with an extremely tight programme to meet, A²O resourced the job efficiently and their management team was a pleasure to deal with during their time on site.
The detailing and quality of finish to the two blocks was exceptional and has received recognition from the wider team and the client.
We look forward to the opportunity to work with A²O again."

Joe Hatwell

Site Manager

Challenges

The biggest challenge was the late-stage design handover, leaving a pre-construction programme of only 3 weeks due to another cladding contractor suddenly going into administration while on the job.

Due to taking over in later stage pre-construction, some materials already specified had to be used, although not the most practical and install-friendly.

The site team found the vents had been installed in the wrong locations, disrupting the tile layout.

Completing on time was the largest challenge, given the ultra short lead-in and the issues on site.

The challenge was to keep on budget, despite the extremely limited duration of the design phase.

As a regeneration project with new homes for a wide diversity of households, the main contractor Hill had a multi-faceted Social Value Plan.

Solutions

A²O managed to keep the project on track despite the extremely tight time frame, thanks to proactive problem solving and the design team’s strong supply partner relationships.

The pre-specified insulation was not as rigid as the standard rainscreen slab normally used, which required more dexterity from the install team.

The site team had to cut a lot more tiles to work around the vents to retain the desired aesthetic.

The site team carried out site surveys to reduce rework and facilitate smooth execution.

A²O installers suggested design simplifications that reduced installation time and material costs.

A²O partnered with the Social Value plan, with an apprentice working on the design of the facade and contributions to the food bank & Christmas Appeal.