We were thrilled to be awarded the contract for the Strand Quarter – a residential new build for Coastal Housing Group and part of the Urban Village programme.

We constructed an 8-storey steel frame building with rain screen cladding in 2017-2018 – the project was mid-construction at the time of the Grenfell fire, and despite having all aspects of façade design signed off at Building Control and LABC warranty, in the aftermath of the tragic events the team stopped to take stock. When reviewing the approved design, the project determined that Kingspan Kooltherm insulation would not provide the client with a risk-free long-term façade solution.

Through extended dialogue and collaboration with client, designers, manufacturers and building control, we stopped external works and redesigned the external fabric. This resulted in Rockwool insulation and extended stainless steel being included in the design, with full review of fire barrier design and specification.

We linked the rear of the tower was linked to the High Street development (also completed by us as part of the larger Urban Village project) via a purpose-built footbridge, and the associated areas were landscaped with low maintenance planting.

On the flat roof, we constructed a roof parapet and installed a large volume of photovoltaic panels, that contributed to the EPC A requirement and the BREEAM excellence rating. All units were fitted out to a high standard, inclusive of bathrooms and kitchens to DQR standard and CHG specification with associated sprinkler installation.