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 photo: Ramboll UK
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Islington Square residencesNew Islington Road, East Manchester M4, UKWe worked on a project to develop 22 terraced townhouses – some affordable housing and some commercial – on a large plot in East Manchester. Each 2-3 bedroom house has its own courtyard at the rear; and roof gables in a style inspired by the typical Dutch terrace. As is typical in many parts of Manchester, the site’s industrial past posed some difficulties. Ground contamination was severe. Our solution was to use a minimized foundation strategy. We excavated the smallest possible area of contaminant and sank mini-piles to a depth below the contamination threshold. This cost effective approach kept the volume of contaminant we had to dispose of to an absolute minimum. The mock Dutch gables presented another challenge. In varying shapes and heights – some projecting as high as one storey above roof level – they required steelwork to be embedded in the loadbearing façade to hold them upright. Brick Award Best Public Housing 2006 Daily Telegraph 'What House?' gold award for best partnership development 2006 |
