Contemporary residential apartments which reflect Leicester’s Industrial Vernacular

Vera Mitchell Building, Leicester

Name: Vandersanden
Address: 16 Stocks Bridge Way, Compass Point Business Park, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, PE27 5JL, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)1954268075

Located a mile from Leicester city centre next to De Montfort University, the Vera Mitchell Building delivers 122 high‑quality contemporary apartments across eight floors.

We talk to Mathew Bell, Project Architect at Staniforth about the project. We’ll hear his ideas on the brick selection used to create this striking residential scheme of apartments.

Old Windsor gave us very natural, subtle variation - a soft, warm tone that fits our design language and re-establishes Leicester’s identity.

Mathew Bell, Associate

Staniforth Architects

--

-/-

Vera Mitchell Building in Leicester with Vandersanden bricks

Old Windsor bricks by Vandersanden, Leicester (UK)

Originally conceived as accommodation for healthcare workers at Leicester Royal Infirmary, the scheme later transitioned into open‑market residential use, prompting an internal redesign while maintaining the building’s established external form and striking fenestration. The project sits within an historic industrial context once defined by 19th‑century hosiery and footwear warehouses.

What was your design vision for the project?

The aim for the project was to echo the areas industrial past and blend in with Leicester’s recognisable vernacular of red bricks. The original concept was very buff looking in appearance. We were keen to get the local identity back into the building.
The facade employs large glazed openings with deep reveals, referencing the rhythm of Victorian warehouse bays. Between them sit exceptionally narrow brick piers, in places just a brick‑and‑a‑half wide with millimetre tight reveals, demanding precise detailing and material reliability.
The aim was a fairly neutral palette with subtle natural variation that could contribute warmth and texture without overwhelming the building’s clean architectural lines.

A refined palette of three materials was chosen: Vandersanden’s Old Windsor facing bricks, green‑turquoise accent cladding, glazing in generous, vertically oriented bays. The majority of the envelope needed to remain as neutral as possible, so a multi brick offered the variation we wanted without creating a flat, monotone facade.

We chose Vandersanden’s Old Windsor multi brick as the ideal solution. Its nuanced blend of soft orange and natural tones allowed the design team to re‑establish Leicester‑specific identity while avoiding the monotony of a single‑colour facade. We wanted a multi brick rather than a completely flat facade.

Old Windsor gave us very natural, subtle variation - a soft and warm tone that fits our design language. It’s not a harsh red facing brick, and it’s not a London Common; it sits comfortably in between.

How does your choice of brick complement this vision?

The high-quality products from Vandersanden provide incredible reliability, making them perfect for this project. Their Old Windsor bricks help define the identity of the building, delivering the warmth, variation and authenticity.

A standard stretcher bond was used.

What brick innovations were there with this project?

The design introduces elegant brick detailing to enrich and enhance the facade. This included protruding header courses, extending by approximately 25mm, which created a distinctive hit and miss‑style vertical feature wall along the windowless elevation, adding rhythm, depth and shadow.

We like the Vandersanden range, the multi bricks in particular offer great variety. Their expertise made it simple for us to choose the right brick for the project.

Thanks Mathew, for taking the time to talk to us and of course for choosing Old Windsor facing brick by Vandersanden for your project.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it doesn’t always give you the full story. Sometimes you just need to see it for yourself, hold it in your hand and feel the texture to be truly inspired.

Find out more Request sample

Project – The Vera Mitchell Building
Location – Jarrom Street, Leicester
Architect – Staniforth Architects
Developer – Mitchian Jarrom
Contractor – Mitchian Construction
Brick used – Old Windsor
Year of completion – 2025

We love collaborating with architects, helping them to realise their design vision. Here is just a selection of some of our collaborations, where you will hear from the architects behind these beautiful, yet functional and inspiring projects. Discover even more collaborations on the link below.