DZINESPRING 2008

Size Matters

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DZINE News from the Editor

Anne GroseTelephone: 01782 568223 | Email: marketing@ibstock.co.uk | Published by: Ibstock Brick Ltd, Ibstock, Leicestershire LE67 6HS

Front Cover: Headquarters Building, Leatherhead

ContentsNews 2

44 Dennis Lane, Stanmore 4

Tipton Police Station 6

Humanities Building, University of Manchester 8

New Headquarters Building, Leatherhead 10

Dickens Court, Margate 12

Back to Basics – Using Larger Format Bricks 14

New Fireborn Products - coming soonIbstock LondonSpring SeminarWayne Hemingway of Hemingway Design

is this year’s guest speaker at the Ibstock

Seminar and it is entitled – “Sustainable

Housing – An Alternative View.”

The seminar promises to be thought-

provoking and controversial and it will be

held at lunchtime on 17th April 2008 at

RIBA in Portland Place. Tickets are free and

can be obtained by ringing Tracey Sharpe

on 01798 817003 or by emailing

t.sharpe@ibstock.co.uk. Please note that

tickets will be issued on a first-come,

first-served basis.

New BuffWaterstruckBricks fromEllistownAs a new addition to the popular Arden

Waterstruck range, the Arden Cream Multi

has just been launched. This brick will be

popular in the Cambridge and Suffolk areas

where the buff colours are common.

The Arden Cream Multi will also provide a

pleasing contrast to the red tones of the

other bricks in the Arden range.

As well as the very recently launched

natural grey, there will shortly be a

beautiful Ochre colour available, two new

textures – Slate and Lined and a new,

bigger size up to 490mm.

To register your interest send an email to:

marketing@ibstock.co.uk

Arden Cream Multi Fireborn Natural Ochre

Fireborn Lined Fireborn Slate

Technical Topic -Efflorescence

Drier weather in spring alwaysinduces calls asking about ‘whitestuff coming out of the brick’, orefflorescence as it is otherwiseknown. High humidity levels duringthe winter delay the drying processin new buildings and usuallyApril/May is the first ideal dryingweather after the winter period.

Saturation will dissolve any salts present in

construction materials, even the surrounding

area. Good site storage and practice, always

aiming to exclude moisture, is important.

Some materials will contain salts that are

more readily soluble than others. Even a

minute amount can manifest itself as a

white, fluffy covering of the brickwork.

Dissolved salts are very mobile, therefore as

the area dries out, the solution travels to the

face of the material to evaporate into the

atmosphere. The salt is left as a harmless

deposit on the surface where it tends to

weather away quite quickly.

During this transitory period structures can

look quite unsightly; however, given a little

time experiencing natural weathering

conditions, the efflorescence can disappear

quite quickly.

Good design detailing and workmanship can

help eliminate its occurrence. For example

the photograph shows an earth retaining

wall where the damp proof membrane has

been omitted from the retaining side. The

result will be efflorescence appearing and

lime bleed out staining from the mortar.

This could continue for some time as it

replenishes itself from the soluble salts in the

earth's ground water.

For advice on how to minimise itsoccurrence or hasten its removalfrom brickwork, refer to ourTechnical Information sheets on theIbstock website www.ibstock.com

New Eco-FriendlyYouth HostelThe first YHA youth hostel to be built in the

National Forest was opened just before

Christmas at Moira, Leicestershire. Featuring

Ibstock Arden Weathered Red bricks, that

only travelled 11 miles to site, the hostel has

been designed to minimise its impact on the

environment and has amongst its features

water heated by solar panels, and vents at

the top of the building providing in-built

ventilation and removing any need for

air-conditioning. The accommodation is built

to a VisitBritain four-star standard and comes

in 23 two, three and four-bedded, en-suite

rooms to accommodate up to 70 people.

44 Dennis LaneStanmoreArchitect: Thomas Nugent Architects Contractor: Varsani Construction & Joinery

Brick Type: Fireborn Freedom – Natural Blue

The house at 44 Dennis Lane is adetached single family house,which follows the predominantlysuburban pattern of the immediatevicinity. It is designed to resemble atwo-storey structure when viewedfrom Dennis Lane. However, itcontains four levels internallyincorporating a basement and aroof space. A sunken patio at therear provides the basement levelwith plenty of natural light.

The front elevation is interpreted as a three-

dimensional interplay of projecting and

recessing wall planes in a variety of materials,

whereas the rear elevation is designed to

maximize visual connection between the

internal spaces and the rear garden.

The client's brief is followed closely to deliver

customised interior spaces and non-standard

products for external and internal finishes to

create a unique home in all aspects.

The interior finishes were sourced from Italy

directly by the client. The external finishes

were selected by Thomas Nugent

Architects. Ibstock Fireborn Freedom, in

Natural Blue 327 x 102 x 50mm, bricks

were specified for the external finish to the

ground floor and chimney as the architects

required an unusual format to give a

distinct and elegant appearance in the

standard brick environment of the area.

The dark grey mortar and recessed

brickwork are complemented by an ebony

coloured entrance door, timber laminate

cladding and a zinc-clad bay window

contrasted by the light render.

The structure follows a traditional cavity

wall construction with specialist wall ties to

accommodate the non-standard bricks.

It was important to specify the brick

tolerances to achieve the highest quality

brick finish.

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DZINE

D-37

4

D13

4

102

5050

140

128

1213

224 102

140

47

5486

EQ1 EQ1

30

152

steel column, to str.eng.spec.Wall Type 1

treated timber stud

WG.2:SMART curtain wall, fixed glazingframe colour RAL 7015

DPC

loose mineral wool infill/expanding foam

50mm CELOTEX tuff-R zero CW3050Z, or sim appr

clear, paintable silicon seal

Wall Type 7 skimmed plasterboardson vapour barrier on ply

-D-36

D

102

5050

140

28

140

47

WG.3/WG.4/WG.5/DB.4 :SMART systemPPC aluminiumfixed and tilt+turn windowRAL 7015

DPC

insulated plasterboard lining

insulated cavity closer

expanding foam

clear, paintable silicon seal

clear silicon seal

Wall Type 1

-D-20

1

102 50 50 140

+0.780

100 40

30

appr.100

insulated cavity closer

allow for vertical ventilation spacersbetween bricks, tone to match bricks

timber window sill

transparent silicon seal

W1.6 :SMART systemPPC aluminiumtilt+turn windowRAL 7015

PPC aluminium window sill

Wall Type 1

-D-34

B

1

54 86

100 40

327

277

302

102 50 50 140 28

clear, paintable mastic sealant

Wall Type 1

non-hardening recessed mastic seal,dark grey to garage door colour rigid thermal insulation board

steel column, to str.eng spec.

Wall Type 6

Hoermann garage door, 'VIRTUOSO Linear',double skinned insulated steel section,grey finish in RAL 7015

two layers of 12.5mm plasterboard over insulation strip

loose mineral wool infill

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DZINE Tipton Police Station

Tipton, West MidlandsArchitect: Malcolm Payne Group Contractor: Mansell plc

Brick Type: Fireborn Natural Red, Atlas Smooth Blue

The old Tipton Police Station wastwo storeys high, built of localStaffordshire blue brick laid inFlemish bond with red brick andashlar dressings, and a slate roof.The new building that replaces itechoes this heritage.

The new station is a bespoke scheme that

positively addresses the needs and

requirements of the modern police force,

whilst also providing a new landmark

building for the community. It has been

designed to have the ability to adapt to

the future needs of the police force, such

as the ability to provide for the growth in

specialised units, and greater numbers of

police officers. To accommodate this and

to ensure maximum adaptability of the

internal spaces, the layout employs an

external structural system allowing for

lightweight internal partitions that can be

easily re-positioned.

The architectural design relies on simple

and effective use of proportions and

materials. The treatment is contemporary

in the pattern of fenestration and detailing

to avoid pastiche, but designed with a

characteristic roof form to fit into the

grain of surrounding development.

External walls have brick piers that enclose

the building structure in a colour

associated with the police, and stack

bonded Natural Red Fireborn (in 440 x

215mm) - a colour to harmonise with

surrounding buildings.

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DZINE Humanities Building

University of ManchesterArchitect: Fairhursts Design Group Contractor: AMEC

Brick Type: Fireborn Natural Red – Casting Tiles

The new Humanities Building atthe University of Manchester wasdesigned to provide a newbuilding that would “facilitateworld class research in the contextof world class teaching” and alsosymbolise “the vibrancy of socialsciences in Manchester.”

Given the site’s restricted location by Oxford

Road in the middle of a very busy university

campus, an aesthetically pleasing cladding

system that could rapidly be installed was

sought. The solution was found in the

specification of large precast concrete wall

cladding panels. Weighing up to 12.5t

each, the precast concrete units were cast,

with Fireborn tile facings, by The Marble

Mosaic Co Ltd. In addition to the

manufacture of the panels, Marble Mosaic

was responsible for their detail design,

delivery and installation.

Fireborn tiles were chosen because their

standard pattern allowed the external

corner details to be achieved without the

need for the mitre-cutting and gluing

operations that many other forms of tile

would otherwise have required. In

conjunction with Marble Mosaic, Ibstock

also developed a tile (327 x 215mm) that

was particularly suitable for precasting

whilst avoiding the need for cutting, with

the keyed face that is required to bond it to

the backing concrete.

The 126 cladding panels are typically each

supported by a pair of integral concrete

corbels bearing on to the floor slabs and

laterally restrained by bolting via serrated

stainless steel plates to channels that were

cast into the structural concrete columns.

The tile-faced precast concrete wall

cladding panels with framed and glazed

window apertures were installed within the

agreed six week on-site period.

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Nearing completion, the newheadquarters building for UnileverUK, one of the UK’s foremostFMCG companies, has beendesigned with the Company’scommitment to sound sustainableworking practices and theirresultant impact on theenvironment firmly in mind.

The client brief for the scheme was to

create a facility which brought together

three previously separate business units

from three separate locations and

accommodated them into a space that

promotes a harmonious way of working

and united culture.

The concept employs a covered car park

deck solution, with the office

accommodation arranged into a series of

three-storey, 16.5m wide linear office

fingers on an east-west axis enabling

excellent control over solar gain and glare.

These linear floorplates are then connected

north-south by short, bridging floorplates

containing toilet cores and service risers.

A design approach of fully glazed buildings

would not align itself with the

environmentally responsible and energy

efficient world of building design in the

21st century. New and tighter Building

Regulations require a worthy balance

between glazing and solid façade treatment

(daylighting and solar gain). The primary

background façade material is Fireborn in a

natural cream to give a warm earthy hue.

A special size of 490 x 115 x 102mmwas

developed for the architects. A highlight

material is also being employed on accent

elements, such as the flank staircases and lift

towers, and central amenity building.

The resulting building has seen the delivery

of a bold, contemporary and

environmentally-sound design which is

sympathetic to the scale and compartmental

nature of the high quality development at

Leatherhead Office Park and the sensitive

greenbelt edge which the site borders.

The Unilever Headquarters was purchased

by clients of Invista Real Estate Investment

Management and developed by Landid

Property Development Limited.

New Headquarters BuildingLeatherheadArchitect: de novo-architecture Contractor: Bowmer & Kirkland

Brick Type: Fireborn Natural Cream

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DZINE

REF: 3 EXTERNAL RETURN

LEGENDFINSHED FACE OF FIREBORN

UNFINSHED FACE OF FIREBORN

BONDED JOINT

CONSTRUCTION

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REF: 3 EXTERNAL RETURN

(Scale 1:1)

13

20

20

490

123º

123º

502

115

115

351

113

66º

25226

3

115

115

115 115

102

102

BIRDSMOUTH

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DZINE Dickens Court

MargateArchitect: The Planning Bureau Contractor: McCarthy & Stone

Brick Type: Fireborn Natural Cream

Dickens Court, built on the site ofthe Grand Hotel, Margate is adevelopment of 73 privatelyowned Cat 2 sheltered apartmentswith house manager's office andflat, and communal facilities suchas residents lounge and laundry,by specialist retirementhousebuilder McCarthy & Stone.

The disposition of the site along a primary

seafront route and at a junction with a side

road dictated a layout which reinforced the

street pattern, resulting in the opportunity

for a strong corner feature. This also

allowed the southern part of the site to be

left open for car parking and amenity space.

As well as reinforcing the street pattern, of

key importance to the local planning

authority was how the design of the

scheme would relate to the adjacent terrace

of period properties. It had to show respect

but not simply copy it. Hence the first

element adjacent to the existing terrace

provides a visual end-break to the terrace,

allowing the rhythm of it to be

re-established in the contemporary format

of the new building with its rectangular

bays as opposed to the traditional angled

bays of the terraced properties. This then

needed to be appropriately visually

terminated by a strong “end-stop” which

the corner feature provides. This was

achieved by the use of stack bonded

327 x 215 x 100mm Fireborn blocks.

The materials were selected to provide a

clean, contemporary appearance to the

building, appropriate to its design ethos of

providing a present-day response to the

townscape constraints of the site – the

Fireborn was particularly suitable for this

due to its larger format than standard

bricks, and its smooth finish.

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DZINE

14

DZINE Back to Basics

Using large format bricks

For many years the ‘standard’ UKbrick size has been 215 x 102 x65mm give or take a few imperialvariants. However, here at Ibstockwe have developed a range ofnew size formats to helpArchitects and Designers createdifferent and exciting aestheticsutilising the stable and sustainablefeatures of clay brick.

Considering the use of these different sizes

should not be a daunting task to the

designer. The blocks simply follow basic

formatting guidelines and can easily be

incorporated to the standard grid size of

900mm or 1350mm and still incorporate

standard window and door opening

dimensions.

Fireborn, Fireborn Freedom and Fireborn Max

are Ibstock’s range of large format units.

Ibstock’s Linear range of products is made

up from longer, slimmer bricks available in a

variety of colours and textures.

Panels constructed with the ‘Linear’ range.

Some of the formats currently available from Ibstock’s Fireborn® range – set out in

comparison to standard brick dimensions.

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DZINE

BondingStretcher bond

All units can be laid as stretcher bond

achieving strength and stability as well as a

pleasing effect.

Stack bond

Many designers using large format bricks

favour building in stack bond. However,

there is no cross bonding from course to

course with a subsequent reduction in

flexural strength. There are two ways of

reinstating this, one is to use Twin-block

which can be laid half-bond but looks stack

bonded, and the other is by incorporating

bed joint reinforcement.

Generally bed joint reinforcement should be

incorporated at 225mm vertical centres

(every course for 215mm Fireborn) using

stainless steel ladder type reinforcement.

Fireborn Fireborn

‘Twin-block’ ‘Soldier unit’

Third Bond

327mm units can also be laid one-third

bond giving a staggered effect to the

perpends.

Third Bond

Laying rateLarger format blocks are often substantially

heavier than standard size bricks, normally

this may result in a restriction of the number

of courses buildable in one lift. This can be

remedied by incorporating a proprietary

masonry support system such as Brikmat®,

which will prevent mortar being squeezed

out of the joints by the weight of the

subsequent courses.

This system can also be incorporated in

conjunction with bed-joint reinforcement,

thus increasing the flexural strength and

rigidity of the brickwork.

MortarFor large format units such as Fireborn,

normally a designation (ii) mortar mix (1: ½ :

4 ½, cement:lime:sand or equivalent) will be

the most appropriate mixed to a relatively

stiff consistency bearing in mind the weight

of the larger units.

For products in the Linear range advice

should be sought from the Technical

Department or a Design Advisor depending

on which product is chosen. Units should be

laid in a mix no stronger than necessary.

Use full mortar beds and a nominal 10mm

joint thickness; however some products in

the Linear range can incorporate 6mm bed

joints if desired. Perpends should also be

fully filled with mortar.

To highlight the size and shape of the

products it is suggested that a contrasting

mortar colour be specified.

Movement jointsUse normal recommended spacing for clay

units, please ask for Design Advice. Where

bed-joint reinforcement is used joint spacing

may be increased from the normal industry

guidelines for un-reinforced walls.

Wall tie spacingUse normal centres as per BS 5628 Part 3.

When using Fireborn Freedom, any height

of unit can be specified from 50mm up to

290mm. This may mean the bricks will not

course with the blockwork inner leaf. This

can be easily remedied by specifying a

helical type of wall tie which can be fixed

into the block at whatever height dictated

by the external courses.

Fireborn ‘Freedom’

Any height from 50mm to 215mm for the

440 units, or 290mm for the smaller units.

Brick dimensionstablesFor many years dimensions tables have been

available in a standard 215mm length and

65 and 73mm height format. Ibstock have

now increased the choice to incorporate

many of the sizes featured in our Fireborn

and Linear ranges. They can be found in the

Technical Support pages on our website

www.ibstock.com

Extract from the Brick Dimensions Tables.

Table 1 440mm

Numberof Bricks

CO +Joint

CO(Coordinating

Size)

CO - Joint

½ 235 225 2151 460 450 440

1½ 685 675 6652 910 900 890

2½ 1135 1125 1115 3 1360 1350 1340

3½ 1585 1575 1565 4 1810 1800 1790

Brikmat® masonry support.

For Design Advice phone 0844 800 4576. For Technical Advice phone 0844 800 4577.

Ecoterre™ interior partition blocks.Another step towards alower carbon footprint.

A zero carbon building industry won't happen overnight. But using the Ecoterre™ earth bricks from Ibstock could be a giantstep in the right direction.

Made from 100% recovered clays unsuitable for brick making. Dried using recovered heat from brick kilns. Proven as a costeffective, performance material for load free interior use. In Ecoterre™ you've got a genuine alternative to help you drive downyour carbon footprint and help meet your obligations to build sustainable homes.

Always one of the most sustainable of materials for its durability, thermal mass and the fact that it is so readily recycled, ourcommitment to an even more environmentally friendly brick makes Ibstock bricks the best choice cladding material for architects,planners and builders everywhere.

To find out how you can build a greener future using Ibstock bricks visit www.ibstock.com

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