A vision for city living realised

We talk to project architect Sundas Rohilla at David Miller Architects who is just one of many minds who helped to shape this project. We’ll get her ideas on brick selection, the value of collaboration, sustainability and the aesthetic that the bricks allowed in helping to stitch the scheme into its setting.

This landmark building was inspired by the area’s Georgian terraces and Victorian mansion blocks. From the choice of materials to the precise proportions and the gentle curves of the scalloped panels, every element of the architecture has been considered to ensure the building complements and blends with the streetscape.

The choice of bricks was incredibly important and had to meet the planning design intent. It was essential to ensure that we were picking up the right tones of reds, yellows and greys from the existing buildings; Vandersanden’s Cayenne, Woodland Mixture and Lima do this perfectly. They also harmonise with the pigmentation of the concrete sills and copings, as well as with the window and balcony railing colours.

Vandersanden was the front-runner early on. We’d used their products on a previous project for Westminster City Council and we’re now using them to deliver two other projects for them. It comes down to the brick’s hues and textures and the company’s commitment to sustainability.

With such a complicated design, offsite construction meant that precise tolerances could be achieved and the quality of the brickwork could be seamless. In all, 285 precast panels were manufactured by Decomo in Belgium to create 3.500m2 of finished façades. Due to the facade’s differing curvatures, Decomo had to cut and bond the bricks to various sizes with 117 different shapes for each of the three brick colours.

Vandersanden was incredibly helpful and responsive from the start, providing samples and initial quotes during the selection process. It was essential that the bricks used by Decomo in Belgium exactly matched those being used on-site by the bricklayers, so Vandersanden worked with the design team and directly with Decomo.

Vandersanden’s approach to sustainability and collective wellbeing resonates with ours as an architectural practice. Knowing that Vandersanden has EPDs that are super open means that we can easily compare against other products. It feels like sustainability is really embodied into their culture.

It's been great! Their products have helped us deliver top quality housing. Everyone involved is incredibly proud of the building’s aesthetic and that is due to the bricks. It’s been a very good experience and we hope to keep working with Vandersanden.

The design for Cosway Street was by Bell Phillips, realised by Osborne and David Miller Architects as their delivery architects.

Thanks Sundas, for taking time to talk to us and of course choosing Cayenne, Woodland Mixture and Lima facing bricks by Vandersanden for your project.

• Project – Cosway Street
• Location – Marylebone, London
• Concept Architect: Bell Phillips
• Delivery Architect: David Miller Architects
• Developer – Westminster City Council
• Contractor – Osborne
• Brick used – Cayenne, Woodland Mixture and Lima
• Year of completion – 2023

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.

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