Newly built apartments | London City Island

Streamlined process

A great deal of research and development preceded the construction in order to ensure that the facade panels comply with the English legislation and regulations. ‘Virtually the entire company has taken a technical English course’, explains Van Dijk. ‘The technical terms are a bit different to the English you use on holiday.’ Byldis was responsible for the engineering, production and assembly of the towers from the first construction layer or stages, which were built in situ. ‘An English size has been used for the bricks. We collaborated intensively with Wienerberger from the outset and the supply of bricks has run perfectly. They understand our system and we have insight into their production process.’

When the client and architect suggested the idea for glazed bricks, the development team and Wienerberger joined forces again. Van Dijk: ‘You can’t cut or glue glazed bricks, so you have to modify your approach. You start first by outlining the stones before you start with the construction. In the production process you take measures to ensure that the bricks do not become damaged.’ The builder does not want to reveal exactly what these measures are. He smiles: ‘There is a secret behind it and we want to keep it that way.’

Read more about the development of London City Island from the perspective of David Henderson, studio director at the London office of Glenn Howells Architects (GHA).