Archetech Issue 36 2018 | Page 22

YORK HANDMADE PROVIDES 200,000 BRICKS FOR ICONIC LONDON BRIDGE DEVELOPMENTS The award-winning York Handmade Brick Company has supplied 200,000 bricks to two flagship regeneration developments at London Bridge. The contracts are worth £250,000 and the Alne-based company have created special bricks called Autumn Sunset and London Stock for the two projects at London Bridge Place and London Bridge Station. David Armitage, the chairman of York Handmade, the leading independent brickmaker in the north of England, commented: “These are very prestigious contracts, which really put York Handmade on the map. Our ability to produce attractive bespoke bricks to order means we are now on the radar of influential architects and builders across the country. “They follow on from our work on the nearby Shard, arguably the most iconic modern building in the whole of London. It is fantastic that a Yorkshire company should be playing a significant role in the acclaimed regeneration of the London Bridge area, which is now a commercial and residential hotspot,” he added. London Bridge Place completes the London Bridge Quarter. Adjoining the much taller Shard, London Bridge Place is also owned by the Sellar Property Group and was designed by Renzo Piano. It comprises 600,000 sq ft of office and retail space, with typical floors of over 30,000 sq ft each. Access to the offices is via an entrance lobby located on a new piazza with a new entrance to London Bridge Underground Station and a new bus station incorporated into the design. Meanwhile the £1bn redevelopment work on London Bridge Station has just been completed after five years. The final section of the huge, modern new concourse and the final five platforms have opened for the first time, allowing Cannon Street trains to resume calling at the landmark new station. Since work began in 2013, London Bridge has been transformed by Network Rail as part of the government-sponsored Thameslink Programme, while remaining open for the 50 million passengers that use London’s oldest station each year. The vast new concourse, larger than the pitch at Wembley, unites all fifteen platforms for the first time and modern facilities make the landmark station fully accessible for all. Other high-profile projects carried out in London by York Handmade include Highbury Stadium, Carmelite House and Highgate School. He added: “Our acclaimed work in London means that our reputation as a premier brick supplier in the capital for both residential and commercial developments is gathering its own momentum. Our work on the Shard led to the prestigious London Bridge commission, for example, so the future looks bright.” Regarding the Highbury Stadium development, David Armitage commented: “This was the most amazing job for us. The old Highbury Stadium is one of the most famous football grounds in the world