click images to see a slideshow

Completed in time for the 2010/2011 student intake, this summer saw the opening of Woodland Court, a stunning new student accommodation building in Islington which was clad with 2,400m² of our Gebrik Insulating Brick Cladding System.

Built by RG Group for specialist student accommodation provider Unite, and designed by architect Hadfield Cawkwell Davidson, the new seven storey Woodland Court development provides 580 student bedrooms for London Metropolitan University, as well as 1,000 square feet of commercial space.

Unite Modular Solutions produced fully furnished volumetric pods in their Gloucestershire factory which were stacked on site to create the seven storey development. Once assembled, the pods were clad in less than six months with approx 4,000m² of various rainscreen finishes, including the Gebrik Metropolitan Multi (Ref VS71-24), by specialist contractor Metclad.

The design team were faced with a series of challenges for the project: a short build programme, minimal site storage, difficult access, bricks to match the surrounding area and brickwork support from the first floor to the sixth. Having successfully worked with the client and RG Group at Camden in 2009, we were approached to provide design assistance in fixing to the UMS pods at height and detailing around windows; but the biggest problem was in finding a brick finish within our standard range. Photos and samples were sent to our suppliers in Belgium and they developed the Metropolitan Multi specifically for this project - the finish now being included in our standard range.

Gebrik proved to be the ideal solution for Woodland Court, providing a lightweight, cost-effective solution within an extremely tight programme. And not only was it a perfect modern method of construction but the building also delivered on aesthetics - the new brick finish perfectly matching the surrounding traditional London yellow stock bricks!!

Please click on any of the images on the right to view a slideshow showing aspects of the application and results of Gebrik used at the Woodland Court development.

• Client: Unite
• Architect: Hadfield Cawkwell Davidson
• Main Contractor: RG Group