Athlete’s Village No. 2, Victory Parade, East Village, London E15 2ER
1,035 precast concrete panels constructed offsite, and covering 8,866m2 of the facade.
Contractor: Ardmore
Architect : Lifschulz Davidson Sandilands and KDS Associates
Swansea University, Singleton Park, Sketty, Swansea SA2 8P
850 precast concrete panels, constructed offsite, covering 7,300m2
Contractor : Vinci
Architect : Glancy Nichols & Powell Dodson
Mount Oswald, Durham University, Leazes Road, Durham, DH1 1TA
1,500 brick-facing and reconstructed stone panels, constructed offsite, covering 12,500m2.
Contractor : PCE
Architect : Willmore Iles Architects
73 – 77 Commercial Road, London E1 1RD
223 sandwich panels, constructed offsite, covering 2,562m2.
Contractor : PCE
Architect: Dexter Moren Associates
Cardiff Lane, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2
463 reconstructed stone panels, constructed offsite, covering 4,387m2.
Contractor : PJ Walls
Architect : Henry J Lyons
Building Performance Rating : LEED Platinum
Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London NW1 9UQ
2,228 reconstructed stone panels, covering 19,734 square meters.
Architect : PRP
Contractor : Sisk
Grangegorman Lower, Arran Quay, Dublin 7
611 brick faced panels covering 9,439 square meters.
Contractor : Sisk / FCC JV
Architect : FCB Studios
Handley House, Sovereign Court, Hammersmith, London W6 0BT
382 reconstructed stone panels, covering 3,060 square meters.
Contractor : St. George (Berkeley Group)
Architect : Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands
Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Kingsbury, Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Complex, Kingsbury Road, NW9 8AQ
224 reconstructed stone panels, covering 2,760 square meters.
Contractor : FDL
Architect : LTS Architects
Wembley Park, Wembley, Brent, London
1,610 brick faced and reconstructed stone panels with punched windows and Juliette balconies, covering 17,500 square meters.
Contractor : Sisk
Architect : PRP
Wembley Park is a transformational urban regeneration scheme in the heart of London, renewing the long-neglected space around the national stadium in London. It is creating a vibrant new district which will be home to the UK’s largest single-site build to rent scheme, with over 7,000 residential units, helping to address the UK’s shortage of affordable homes. Since 2004, a range of impressive projects have been delivered at Wembley Park, however the E05 project is the first time that precast concrete has been selected as the preferred facade at Wembley Park. Techrete were awarded the contract and works began in December of 2018.
E05 comprises 458 residences and associated amenities over three blocks, ranging between 10 and 21 storeys. Located immediately adjacent to the stadium, it also provides a linked basement car park for residents, a ground level coach park and two levels of accessible parking for Wembley Stadium. Sisk are expected to complete all works onsite by October 2020.
Within 18 months (December 2018 – May 2020), Techrete had designed, manufactured, and installed 1,610 architectural precast brick-faced panels, incorporating 2,000 windows and covering 17,500 square meters of the buildings facades.
University College London Hospital, 235 Euston Rd, Bloomsbury, London NW1 2BU
1,381 brick faced panels, covering 17, 227m²
Contractor : Mace
Architect : Pilbrow & Partners
Penrose Two, Penrose Dock, Co. Cork T23 YY09
179 reconstructed stone panels, covering 2,841 square meters.
Contractor : Hegarty
Architect : Wilson Architecture
Situated on the banks of the River Lee in Cork, Penrose One & Two is a commercial development constructed by Hegarty Construction and designed by Wilson Architecture. The buildings enhance the emerging skyline at Cork’s docklands and delivers 250,000 square foot of sustainable, Grade A office space. Situated in close proximity to the historical Penrose House, the buildings designs are based on classical proportions with the intention of embracing and enhancing their historical neighbour.
Techrete was awarded the tender to design, manufacture and install the architectural precast concrete cladding façades for both buildings at Penrose Dock.
Penrose One is organised in three distinct vertical modules with Techrete’s double height vertical mullions elongating the building’s appearance. Structural precast concrete columns rise from ground level to the third floor, cast in three parts and stitched together, creating a grand entrance to the building and further elongating its appearance. The precast concrete façade of Penrose Two also consists of mullions and spandrels and the consistency of both façades provides a framing approach to the original Penrose House.
The chosen mix for the project was Techrete’s C190 with an acid etched finish, with provides a warm soft appearance to the façades.
Cast-in lettering was used on panels for Penrose One and Two providing elegant signage for the two entrances.
Penrose One, Penrose Dock, Co. Cork T23 YY09
376 reconstructed stone panels, covering 3,603 meters.
Contractor : PJ Hegarty
Architect : Wilson Architecture
Situated on the banks of the River Lee in Cork, Penrose One & Two is a commercial development constructed by Hegarty Construction and designed by Wilson Architecture. The buildings enhance the emerging skyline at Cork’s docklands and deliver 250,000 square foot of sustainable, Grade A office space. Situated in close proximity to the historical Penrose House, the buildings designs are based on classical proportions with the intention of embracing and enhancing their historical neighbour.
Techrete was awarded the tender to design, manufacture and install the architectural precast concrete cladding façades for both buildings at Penrose Dock.
Penrose One is organised in three distinct vertical modules with Techrete’s double height vertical mullions elongating the building’s appearance. Structural precast concrete columns rise from ground level to the third floor, cast in three parts and stitched together, creating a grand entrance to the building and further elongating its appearance. The precast concrete façade of Penrose Two also consists of mullions and spandrels and the consistency of both façades provides a framing approach to the original Penrose House.
The chosen mix for the project was Techrete’s C190 with an acid etched finish, which provides a warm soft appearance to the façades.
Cast-in lettering was used on panels for Penrose One and Two providing elegant signage for the two entrances.
Duncan House, Stratford, London E15 2JB
1,487 reconstructed stone panels, covering 18,500 square meters.
Contractor : Watkins and Jones
Architect : Hodder and Partners
Duncan House in Stratford, London is a mixed-use development which offers residential apartments, student bedrooms, academic space and has a roof garden and sky lounge. Designed by Hodder and Partners and with Watkin Jones as the main contractor, this development completed in September/October 2019.
The 9-storey podium block of the development defines the street edge and responds to the lower rise buildings surrounding the site. The podium’s right-angle arrangement within its site allows a significant piece of public realm to be formed at the junction of High Street with Lett Road. The composition of the tower with its fins creates a striking silhouette against the sky.
Techrete were engaged to design, manufacture and install the 1,487 panels, covering the 18,500 square meters of cladding which makes up the façade of Duncan House. The reconstructed stone mix chosen for the project was C280 with a light pigment and an acid etched finish.
The structural precast columns to the first floor were manufactured by Techrete and create right angle public colonnade.
Approximately 2,500 windows were fitted at our factory to the panels and the combination of these panels, together with the concrete infill as well as louvres which were also fitted in our factory, make up the façade of the structure.
Creating the moulds for the 1,487 panels with high repetition was always going to be a challenge. Steel moulds were developed to facilitate this, and bespoke steel cassettes were vital in speeding up the process of casting the window panels in particular.
Three Techrete teams installed the panels using three tower cranes and due to the high-rise nature of the building, the Bomecon counter-balance rig was utilised to assist with the installation while the core structure was still being completed over-head.
Duncan House is mainly a student residence, and it is a prestigious project to add to Techrete’s student residence portfolio, particularly in the city of London. Following on from the successful completion of the project, Techrete entered talks with the main contractor, Watkin Jones for the tendering of several other projects.
Duncan House won ‘Best Tall Building – Facade Engineering Project of the year’ at the Tall Building Awards in December 2020 and has achieved a ‘BREEAM Excellent’ rating.
4b Southbank Place, York Road, Bishop’s, London SE1 7LZ
500 reconstructed stone panels, covering 6,124 square meters.
Contractor : Canary Wharf Group PLC
Architect : Squire and Partners
The redevelopment of Southbank Place in central London comprises 8 new buildings surrounding the quarter’s centrepiece, the Shell Centre Tower. The overall redevelopment once completed, will be home to a mixture of offices, residences and retail space and will integrate with open public areas and pedestrian routes. Techrete were engaged by Canary Wharf Group PLC to design, manufacture and install the precast concrete panels for three of the buildings within the quarter and these were Building 1, Building 4A and Building 4B.
Self-compacting concrete using Techrete’s C190 mix for a warm off-white colour, was finished with acid etching to lightly expose the aggregate, giving the panels a soft slightly textured appearance. Granite plinths were also utilised in a Kurum Grey finish and these were supplied to Techrete by Savema.
On buildings 4A and 4B Techrete’s C190 reconstructed stone mix was also used with an acid etched finish. Two storey height panels were manufactured with a vertical indentation in the panels up to levels 10, elongating the structures and creating an elegant ribbed effect.
3D modelling was vital for all three buildings from a Techrete perspective as the extensive steel work of the frames had to be co-ordinated throughout the building. Two bridges on levels 4 and 8 linking buildings one and two, handrail interfaces throughout the building and the interfacing canope described below, all added to the complexity of the design work. Some clashes with the mechanical and engineering work were detected at an early stage and rectified by our design team before any delays were incurred.
GRC soffits were used to clad the over-head areas of the public colonnades on buildings 4A and 4B.
The open structures on the roofs of buildings 4A and 4B were tricky as there were 4 sided columns and beams to negotiate and additionally the steel frames were being built over-head as we were cladding the mid-levels which required a high level of co-ordination and the use of our Bomecon counter balance rig.
4A Southbank Place, York Road, Bishop’s, London SE1 7NW
643 reconstructed stone panels, covering 7,876 square meters.
Contractor : Canary Wharf Group Ltd.
Architect : Squire and Partners
The redevelopment of Southbank Place in central London comprises 8 new buildings surrounding the quarter’s centrepiece, the Shell Centre Tower. The overall redevelopment once completed, will be home to a mixture of offices, residences and retail space and will integrate with open public areas and pedestrian routes. Techrete were engaged by Canary Wharf Group PLC to design, manufacture and install the precast concrete panels for three of the buildings within the quarter and these were Building 1, Building 4A and Building 4B.
Self-compacting concrete using Techrete’s C190 mix for a warm off-white colour, was finished with acid etching to lightly expose the aggregate, giving the panels a soft slightly textured appearance. Granite plinths were also utilised in a Kurum Grey finish and these were supplied to Techrete by Savema.
On buildings 4A and 4B Techrete’s C190 reconstructed stone mix was also used with an acid etched finish. Two storey height panels were manufactured with a vertical indentation in the panels up to levels 10, elongating the structures and creating an elegant ribbed effect.
3D modelling was vital for all three buildings from a Techrete perspective as the extensive steel work of the frames had to be co-ordinated throughout the building. Two bridges on levels 4 and 8 linking buildings one and two, handrail interfaces throughout the building and the interfacing canope described below, all added to the complexity of the design work. Some clashes with the mechanical and engineering work were detected at an early stage and rectified by our design team before any delays were incurred.
GRC soffits were used to clad the over-head areas of the public colonnades on buildings 4A and 4B.
The open structures on the roofs of buildings 4A and 4B were tricky as there were 4 sided columns and beams to negotiate and additionally the steel frames were being built over-head as we were cladding the mid-levels which required a high level of co-ordination and the use of our Bomecon counter balance rig.
1 Southbank Place, York Road, Bishop’s, London SE1 7NW
563 reconstructed stone panels, covering 7,905 square meters.
Contractor : Canary Wharf Group PLC
Architect : Squire and Partners
The redevelopment of Southbank Place in central London comprises 8 new buildings surrounding the quarter’s centrepiece, the Shell Centre Tower. The overall redevelopment once completed, will be home to a mixture of offices, residences and retail space and will integrate with open public areas and pedestrian routes. Techrete were engaged by Canary Wharf Group PLC to design, manufacture and install the precast concrete panels for three of the buildings within the quarter and these were Building 1, Building 4A and Building 4B.
Southbank Place 1 appears to step backwards in three blocks from the ground floor to story 5, from level 6 to level 9 and finally, from level 10 to level 14.
The building features 2 and 3 storey height panels, which were 11 metres long. A major feature of the panels was their extra deep returns on the legs which creates a solar shade and visually achieves the architects design intent.
Self-compacting concrete using Techrete’s C190 mix for a warm off-white colour, was finished with acid etching to lightly expose the aggregate, giving the panels a soft slightly textured appearance. Granite plinths were also utilised in a Kurum Grey finish and these were supplied to Techrete by Savema.
A canopy was created down one elevation of building 1 to create a semi-enclosed space linking buildings 1 and 2. The canope interfaces with the steel work and it was this interface, whilst small in size, was crucial in the overall development of the canope and was incredibly intricate for our draughtsmen to model.
Local Blackfriars, Salford, Manchester
484 reconstructed stone and terracotta faced panels, covering 5,574 square meters.
Contractor : Domis Construction
Architect : Jon Matthews Architects
Local Blackfriars is a beautiful gated residential project, comprising 380 apartments, penthouses and townhouses across two striking towers, in Blackfriars, Greater Manchester. The Blackfriar, a Grade II listed former public house, has been repurposed to act as a gateway entrance for the development. This striking look of the towers was achieved using a combination of finishes. Throughout the buildings, the panels consist of a granite based reconstituted stone, with a polished finish and variations of green tiles cast into the panels.
An acid etched finish forms the base and crown or the top of the buildings, which provides the buildings with an elongated appearance. Techrete were responsible for the architectural precast elements of the project and for the structural columns which sit from the base of the buildings to the second floor. These were also produced in a polished, reconstituted stone. A key feature of this project from a Techrete perspective, was the fixing of the balconies directly to the panels on-site, facilitating much simpler construction and installation.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 748 High Road, Tottenham, London N17 0AP
813 reconstructed stone panels, covering 3,492 square meters.
Contractor : Mace
Architect : Populous
Tottenham Hotspur’s new 62,000-capacity stadium in north London has made wide use of precast concrete – including creation of the football club’s famous crest and motto.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club’s new stadium set a new benchmark for sporting arenas in the UK, and the construction work was also of the highest quality.
The 62,000-seater venue in north London, the largest club stadium in the capital, is designed to be multi-purpose and features the world’s first dividing, retractable football pitch, which reveals a synthetic turf pitch underneath for NFL London Games, concerts, and other events.
Designed by specialist stadium architects Populous, with construction management handled by Mace, work on the project got under way in 2015.
Precast concrete has been used widely, including the terrace sections in the seating bowl, vomitories, stairways, concourse, and external areas, as well as spectacular visual signatures of the football club’s identity.
Tottenham’s famous crest, a cockerel standing on a football, and the Latin motto ‘Audere Est Facere’ – ‘To Dare is To Do’ – were created as giant architectural precast panels by Techrete and are visible inside the concourse areas under the seating bowl.
Bespoke moulds were designed for the precast letters. The 27 Tottenham lettering panels measured 2,000mm in length and 2,200mm in width, and each weighed a tonne.
XYZ Building, 2 Hardman Boulevard, Manchester M3 3AQ
388 reconstructed stone panels, covering 3,836 square meters.
Contractor : McLaren Construction
Architect : Cartwright Pickard
