Springwell gardens is a prominent 250-apartment development close to Leeds city centre. The innovative sloping design incorporates individual garden terraces and south-facing verandas to accentuate the sunlight. There are additional communal areas within the atrium and outdoor spaces in a natural garden setting.
The building is made up from 2 blocks ranging from 5 floors at the lower level with a series of stepped terrace areas taking the building up to 17 storeys. The main facades feature a combination of short facets and a long radius with north and south elevations meeting up as a pincer effect at the main entrance. Utilising in-house engineering expertise, we established precise setting out points and ensured the verticality of the brickwork, with particular attention paid to achieving plumb perp joints throughout. Bricks were carefully blended at the workface to ensure a consistent appearance in colour and texture.
Marlborough’s in house rigorous quality assurance (QA) auditing system provided daily work inspections while digital QA via Field View was employed for all key components both on the workface and within the cavity. This approach provided real-time access and updates, significantly reducing our environmental footprint by minimising paperwork. We collaborated closely with the Principal Contractor, Morgan Sindall, as well as Building Control and local fire inspection authorities, conducting joint workplace and desktop inspections to ensure that the project not only possessed an aesthetically pleasing appearance but also complied with current Building Regulations and the Building Safety Act.
The installation of fire barriers and non-combustible elements of the brickwork package was audited in accordance with IFCC requirements, all of which passed to the highest standards. Our inspections were commended for their quality and detail.
The brickwork programme was successfully delivered on time in a challenging 48-week period using a mixture of mast climbers and traditional scaffolding. The project comprised of 350,000 Childwell Multi facing bricks from Forterra and included 35 different types of special shaped bricks. Given the project’s location on a main thoroughfare, materials were transported to the site from an off-site compound using a “just in time” approach, which presented challenges that were effectively managed through the collaborative efforts of Marlborough and Morgan Sindall. Workshops were conducted regarding the external façade and fire compartmentation details culminating in the production of a benchmark mock-up panel. All operatives were subsequently briefed on the intricate details and high standards of workmanship required prior as part of inductions.
A mast climber system was selected for external access and because of the radius nature of the elevations, all masts were configured as single tower masts. Marlborough took a proactive role in managing the system through daily inspections, meticulous record-keeping, and careful material distribution to minimise the risk of objects falling from height. Tools were consistently tethered, resulting in Marlborough being recognised for outstanding contributions to safety standards and compliance, ultimately receiving the Morgan Sindall regional and national safety award, “100% Safe.”
Marlborough collaborates with Leeds Building College to identify trainees and develop apprentices into a fully skilled workforce. Our longstanding commitment to training and developing local labour is evidenced by the fact that 95% of the workforce employed at Springwell Gardens hailed from the local area, with two skilled craftsmen recognized in the ABC Craftsperson of the Year awards in 2022 and 2023. Over ten local apprentices were engaged in the project.
Furthermore, we conducted educational engagements with local schools, Leeds Building College, and offered work experience placements. Marlborough’s dedication to training is highlighted by our role as the major sponsor of Leeds Building College’s Annual Awards event for students, known as “The Building Industry Great (BIG) Awards.”