Bermondsey Island
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Gareth Gardner (website) Download Original
Social housing project, on a busy road interchange with an innovative brick façade
The five storey block forms part of the Bermondsey Square Redevelopment and provides 13 new affordable rented one and two bedroom units, above a commercial unit placed on the ground floor.
The two facades to the north and west of the housing block, that face the busy roads, are clad with black brick to form hard surfaces. Much of the internal space behind these brick walls is used for the stairs and bathrooms.
Two cranked and cut-back elevations address the quieter roads to the east and south, creating large openings for the living rooms and bedrooms behind.
These inward facing facades have a lightweight steel frame construction with white, externally rendered insulation. All window frames, vents, balcony handrails and rainwater pipes on these facades are colour matched with design elements that help the elevations retain their appearance.
The roof accommodates solar thermal panels in order to supply all flats with underfloor heating and the building has a rainwater harvesting system.
Data
- Begun: Jul 2010
- Completed: Sep 2011
- Floor area: 1,217m2
- Sector: Residential
- Procurement: JCT Design and Build 2005, Revision 2 2009 with amendments
- Address: Abbey Street, London, SE1 3UN, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: Urban Salon
- Client: Igloo Regeneration Ltd
- Structural engineer: AECOM
- Structural engineer: Heyne Tillett Steel
- Quantity surveyor: Keytask
- M&E consultant: AECOM
- M&E consultant: BSEC design
- Acoustic consultant: Cass Allen Associates
- Project manager: Keytask
- CDM coordinator: Keytask
- Approved building inspector : Premier Guarantee
- Main contractor: Allenbuild South East
Suppliers
- Brickwork: Ibstock Tilebrick Staffs Smooth Blue
- Metal brick supports: Wincro Metal Industries
- Balcony balustrades: Allied Fabrications
- Double-glazed composite windows: Krone
- Render: Permarock
- Through-wall attenuated vents : Greenwood