A
collaborative project between Ibstock Brick and one of the UK’s leading
architectural practices has recently been recognised at the BDA Brick Awards.
Waterfront
House is the brand-new, 8,000 sq ft home of Leicester-based Stephen George +
Partners, Architects + Masterplanners, built to reflect the practice’s design
ethos, business values and ambitious vision for the future.
Functional
and honest in its expression, Waterfront House has exceptionally executed
detail, reflective of its unique setting. As a nod to its lakeside location,
the modern lines of the building are softened via the use of naturalistic
materials, a stylistic choice the designers have dubbed ‘soft-modern’.
As
a brick-based structure, the dominant material used throughout is a textured
cream brick sourced from Leicestershire-based brick manufacturer, Ibstock. The
choice of brick affords the building a striking, yet simplistic, finish. This
aesthetic is further accentuated by the building’s entrance, which is divided
into a series of simple symmetries, gradually reducing from large brick gable
to intimate, human scale at the entrance door.
In
order to showcase the architectural quality of the structure, Waterfront House
has been designed to embrace the play of natural light and shadows on its
elevations; achieved via a series of heavily modelled and deeply recessed
planes throughout the building’s exterior.
Stuart
Hancox, Studio Director at Stephen George + Partners, takes up the story: “From
the outset of the project, the desired finish for Waterfront House was a
perfect blend of simplicity and eye-catching, aesthetic appeal. It soon became
clear that the best way of achieving this was via a masonry building, with the
form and detail based around the humble brick – the most fundamental build
material, but one that can foster and encourage real creativity for architects.
“One
of the key things we wanted reflected in the design of Waterfront House was the
creativity of the team it houses. The use of Ibstock Bricks, with their
textured, highly distinct finish, helped us achieve this; as did the projecting
solid brick headers, which draw attention to the classic English Bond and
create dramatic patterning across the structure’s exterior.
“Adjacent
to the entrance is a stack bonded panel of glazed blocks in a black gloss
finish, chosen by the architect to serve as a metaphor for the grids that many
designs are drawn upon. What’s more, the colour scheme of the blocks gives a
nod to the studio’s highly distinct corporate branding, namely the incised
white company logo.”
Further
complementing the brick detailing is a zinc standing seam roof, adding further
eye-catching appeal to the building’s exterior, an aesthetic further enhanced
through the use of stand-out design elements including canopies, brise-soleil
and external shelters. Secret gutters and rectangular downpipes are hidden away
in protective brick recesses, with the building’s steel structure subtly
revealed via orderly elevations and spectacular first-floor vaulted space.
Ben
Gerry, Commercial Director – Ibstock Solutions, said: “The Waterfront House
development was an important project for Ibstock in 2019, and we were delighted
to work with an architectural team that had such a unique, creative vision for
their project.
“With
a brief which called for a finish that was both simple but eye-catching, the
bricks we supplied were carefully selected to be reflective of the
naturalistic, ‘soft-modern’ style the architects were seeking to achieve.”
Reflective
of the studio’s commitment to sustainability, the building has been designed
with solar shading, LED lighting, photovoltaics, solar-water heating and a
ground-breaking water-based air conditioning systems, innovations that
collectively have led Waterfront House to be awarded ‘A’ rating for Energy
Performance Certification.
Ultimately,
the impetus behind Waterfront House was to create an inspirational working
environment for employees, clients and visitors alike; a purpose more than
achieved via intelligent design and carefully considered use of products.
