Beechwood Mews is an attractive new residential development in north London. Sited around a pedestrianised mews street near to the bustling North Circular Road, the 97-home scheme (50% of which will be affordable housing) makes practical and profitable use of a previously dilapidated publicly-owned plot in Finchley. The 0.58ha Transport for London site has stood empty, unused and boarded-up for two decades until it was brought forward for development as part of the Mayor of London’s Small Sites, Small Builders programme. Each dwelling has private external amenity space in the form of a roof terrace, courtyard or balcony.
IG Masonry Support’s renowned design and manufacturing expertise was required to provide the development’s smart, characterful brickwork finish. Hence the company supplied 23 Brick Slip Arches, each one custom-sized and consistent to complement the buildings’ creative brick bond pattern.
The Challenge
IG Masonry Support was selected to supply a bespoke solution for brick-built arches in order to provide a distinctive façade for the Beechwood Mews housing development. Of the 23 arches, five were different sized and comprised various styles. This added to the project’s complexity. Even the most straightforward Arch design, for example, contained more than 150 steel parts which required bolting together. Despite the intricate nature of the Arches’ composition, IG Masonry Support was required to deliver the brick slip solution in the shortest time possible.
The company’s brick department would be crucial to achieving this outcome, as well as its prefabricated production process. IG Masonry Support’s technical support was also integral to the project’s success, particularly as each Arch – due to its width and length – had to be disassembled for delivery. This necessitated the support of an IG Masonry Support engineer to oversee the Arches’ reassembly.
The Solution
IG Masonry Support supplied 23 custom-sized parabolic Brick Slip Arches and 46 specials, 3.2 metres of bespoke restraints/supports which once installed, determined how the Arches were propped and tied back onsite. On account of the double-sided Arches’ parabolic design, IG Masonry Support instigated a new manufacturing process to facilitate the assembly of the bespoke stacked boned pattern. This involved creating the brick bond motif at the manufacturing stage, with every single brick-cut being unique. One particular Arch was not only parabolic, it contained a radius curve comprising multiple bespoke bricks.
IG Masonry Support’s design, manufacture and supply of the bespoke Arches not only resulted in a finish that met precise aesthetic requirements, it led to a time and cost-effective installation that was beyond the capability of traditional brickwork in terms of the finish’s uniformity.
Having provided a one-stop-solution for the Arches’ components including the brick cutting, IG Masonry Support’safter service delivery was of equal excellence. The company supplied the clips to help tie the Arches back to the building, as well as technical guidance from a Site Engineer. The Beechwood Mews development, which was completed in early summer 2022, provides a superb example of how ingenuity and experience can take brickwork design and manufacture to exciting new levels. It’s helped put a smart, desirable face on a much-needed residential scheme that is set to revitalise a long-neglected area of north London.
