ICONIC REDEVELOPMENT IN GOLDEN LANE - CENTRAL LONDON BARBICAN

Since 1997, the estate has been protected as a group of listed buildings of special architectural interest. The estate is listed at Grade II, except for Crescent House, which is listed at Grade II in view of its importance as an example of post-war residential architecture. It is now considered one of the rare areas of London viewed as a symbol of post-war recovery.

The restoring of the concrete structure required the raising of levels above an existing concrete slab without imposing excess loading to provide support and good drainage properties to planted areas. The lightweight and drainage properties of Leca® LWA provided the functionality required for this iconic redevelopment in Central London.

However, LECA ® LWA was not originally proposed and it was only at a later stage of the development that the Contractor for the project opted away from a rigid insulation material and specified LECA® LWA.

FACTS

Amount of material: 120m3 of LECA® LWA (10-20mm)

Interesting Fact: The restoring of the concrete structure required the raising of levels above an existing concrete slab without imposing excess loading to provide support and good drainage properties to planted areas.

Delivery Method: 2.2m3 Build Bags

Feedback from Main Contractors

Tom Mark Lemanski from MUF architecture/art LLP stated that it was discovered that “Leca would be more economic and would be better suited to the geometry of the design, where drainage was also a consideration“, he also added that further properties were factored in from LECA® LWA included being “light weight due to limited loading capacity of the listed retaining walls of the void to be filled. free draining. non-toxic. able to form fine gradients and variety of levels.”

Furthermore, the ability for LECA® LWA to be delivered in 2.2m3 bulk bags provided the optimum method of placing material and the low weight made installing and placing easy and convenient for the contractors. The unusual layout of the Golden Lane Estate and the LECA® LWA used give a unique and interesting feature a contemporary design whilst keeping relevance and empathy with the surrounding buildings. “I thought it was really neat. no waste or off-cuts, no dust, easy to handle, and it looks good. It also felt good on a children's play area as a clean and safe material.”

The new development now forms a lovely area of London and A® LWA now forms a fundamental area of an iconic area of London. Mark concluded that he would certainly specify LECA® LWA again as it was a “lovely material.” Great feedback!