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30 Station Road
Products used: MechSlip & Brick Slips - Sevenoaks Yellow Stock
Project location: Station Road, Cambridge
Architects: tp bennett
Project location: Station Road, Cambridge
Architects: tp bennett
30 Station Road is a new development offering office space in one of the UK’s most sought after business zones. It is part of ‘CB1’, the regeneration of the Station Road area of Cambridge, which aims to create mixed-use, sustainable buildings.
Cambridge is a city of contrasts – it has a deep history and is home to one of the world’s oldest universities, while it is also home to some of the world’s foremost tech companies. It’s fitting then, that Cambridge’s latest development, 30 Station Road, is also a building of contrast.
The new building has the appearance of two intersecting cubes, one larger than the other, and slightly offset. The smaller of the two, which makes up the front of the building, is faced with MechSlip, the cladding solution created through the collaboration of Ibstock and Ash & Lacy, and uses a custom brick size and colour that is in harmony with the vernacular of local brick. Creating a distinct contrast with the brick cladding, the second cube has the appearance of stone, and being one story taller, naturally creates two levels of open space on the top of the building.
Offering 79,000 square feet of office space, the building will be the UK outpost for Apple, one of the world’s most valuable tech companies. The region is one of the densest areas for the UK – Microsoft Research is directly across the road, and ARM (the UK’s most valuable tech company) is located nearby, not to mention Amazon, Samsung and a high concentration of graduate talent.
To achieve the building’s unique brick effect, MechSlip was essential. Designed by Ibstock, the UK’s foremost brickwork and special shape masonry fabrication company, alongside metal envelope specialist Ash & Lacy, MechSlip is a mechanically fixed brick-slip unique to the British market which offers a range of advantages over competing cladding solutions.
Matching local brick vernacular was essential, and made possible through the wide range of specialist brick types offered by Ibstock Brick. The high-grade aluminium support rails designed by Ash & Lacy allow MechSlip to be 50% lighter than modern masonry and have no combustible parts. Indeed, MechSlip’s safety is certified by UKAS accredited laboratory Warrington Fire with an A1 fire rating.
While enabling striking designs and upholding stringent safety standards, MechSlip is also faster to install, thanks to it being assembled in a factory setting and delivered to site in its final form, and more cost effective for specifiers, allowing for quick turnarounds while maintaining quality.
Irina Hughes, Design Advisor at Ibstock, said: “30 Station Road was a fantastic project to be involved with. Located in the heart of one of the UK’s most architecturally significant cities, the architect was keen to create a building that had a distinct, eye-catching finish. We recommended MechSlip as the best means of achieving this. Melding the solid reliability of brick and the ability to stick with local vernacular, while enabling unique designs, the application of MechSlip has resulted in a building that is uniquely beautiful, but does not jarr with its surroundings.
Not only is the external face of the building a sight to behold – MechSlip allows the us to build with the upmost safety and quality in mind, without having to compromise on build time, offering further value.”
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