When an east London development called for market leading, quality brick on soffit systems to achieve the architects’ desired visions, IG Masonry Support was more than capable of stepping up to the challenge.
Fish Island Village, Hackney Wick is a 2.85-hectare mixed-use development which comprises 588 new dwellings, and hosts over 5500sqm of flexible and affordable commercial space. The development, a joint venture between the Peabody housing association and housebuilder Hill, will transform a once heavily industrial site into a community-focussed regeneration, with diversity and inclusivity at its heart. Haworth Tompkins was the lead designer on the scheme with Pitman Tozer and Lyndon Good designing individual blocks.
It is a stunning site which comprises a swathe of one-four bedroom apartments across different areas. The development was delivered in three phases and completed in Autumn 2020. When it came to designing the exteriors, it was important to keep brickwork a continuing theme, in order to pay due attention and respect to the site’s traditional, industrial heritage. It is why IG Masonry Support was a perfect collaborator for this project, designing and supplying a range of products including its Welded Masonry Support (WMS), brick slip lintels and its renowned B.O.S.S. (Brick on Soffit System).
The Challenge
Neptune Wharf was a landmark project for IG Masonry Support. The deep brick soffits over the openings on Neptune Wharf’s facades and the flying beams on the courtyard elevation were integral elements of the architects’ visions. It was therefore important to ensure a seamless brick aesthetic featured throughout, from the main exterior right through to hidden areas.
The Solution
IG Masonry Support collaborated at the early stages of this development with architects’ Pitman Tozer, and Haworth Tompkins. Experts in brick slip soffit solutions, IG’s technical team designed and manufactured offsite solutions to achieve the complex brick detail on the facades of Neptune Wharf. IG was also awarded the design and manufacture of the Masonry Support System for the blocks.
The development required a combination of Brick Slip Lintels and B.O.S.S. units to achieve the soldier bond detail above the window and balcony openings. Capable of accommodating any brick type or bond pattern, IG’s B.O.S.S. (Brick on Soffit System) provided the perfect solution for achieving the deep soffits above the balcony openings, these 215mm soffits spanned over 2300mm wide. IG employed Brick Slip Lintels to achieve the brick soffits over the smaller window openings. Flying beams that resemble classical colonnades with a modern twist feature on one of the courtyard elevations in the development. This architectural detail – designed in a half lap bond pattern – which has a 440m soffit was also achieved using bespoke-designed B.O.S.S. units.
As well as achieving the brick detailing specified in the architects’ designs, IG Masonry Support’s solutions offered other notable benefits. The brick slip soffit solutions reduced the need for skilled labour onsite as the bricks were cut and bonded to the B.O.S.S. units in IG’s controlled manufacturing facility. Furthermore, the offsite manufactured products reduced installation time onsite and assured quality was uncompromised.
IG Masonry Support goes above and beyond on all its projects and the Neptune Wharf development was no exception. Testament to the diligence of IG’s team, IG Masonry Support worked very closely with the architects and contractor throughout the project, holding installation talks and supplying supplementary material to ensure the contracting teams could install the products safely and easily.
Fish Island Village, Hackney Wick is reinventing the way modern urban developments are created and occupied. IG is proud to have designed, manufactured and supplied masonry support and brick soffit systems across various areas of the Neptune Wharf scheme, assuring all the exteriors look good and function well into their bright future
