Digital edition 2021 | Residential

One Blackfriars

United KingdomUnited KingdomCompany Name: Conneely Group

Project description

One Blackfriars features 274 homes, winter gardens with balconies, podium house shops, restaurants, leisure facilities including a pool, spa, gym and cinema, plus a 161-bedroom six-star hotel. The brief was twofold: develop a six-star worthy high specification finish, but also support the aim for minimal wastage in terms of material, space and down-time on site. British Gypsum provided bespoke metal and plasterboard sizes measured and cut to order to prevent waste and the need for its removal on-site, and give more efficient and accurate installation. British Gypsum supported on the programming of the project by catering for just in time deliveries – essential for a busy and complex build.

Contractor

Conneely Group

Conneely Group is considered one of the largest specialist subcontractors in the supply and installation of interior finishes and exterior facades. This is illustrated by the fact its client base is that of the UKs most progressive developers and prestigious main contractors, helping the company to a turnover in excess of £45M with a workforce over 800 in number. Conneely Group promotes the highest standards when addressing the Safety, Health, Environmental Impact and Quality on any projects it undertakes. It has achieved this through its ongoing investment in Health & Safety and Quality Training in the Conneely Group and Training Academy with £500,000 committed in the last 5 years. Conneely Group is proud to be recognised by the London Stock Exchange as a ‘Company to Inspire Britain’ for the third time in a row. To be recognised the business had to demonstrate not only its positive growth and employment creation but also to ‘consistently outperform their sector peers’. The business is proud to be one of only 40 companies to be recognised for three years in a row and only one of eleven in London / South East.

Benefits
Fire protection
Gyproc FireLine® with glass fibre to increase the fire protection characteristics, going above standard board products
Acoustic control
Gyproc Soundbloc® helped to achieve the sound comfort required for a luxury apartment.
Smooth mecanical finish
Thistle® MultiFinish was used to achieve a high quality skim finish

Key Achievements

  • Achieved Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, BREEAM ‘very good’
  • Constructed to London’s K-10 apprenticeship programme
  • Received several award nominations, incl. 2015 World Architecture Festival (WAF) Residential (Future Project)
  • Won the Considerate Constructors Most Considerate Site Award 2019 and Considerate Constructors Gold Award 2016-2019
  • In budget, on time, collaborative working

Key Challenges

There was a fast build programme and difficult logistics – as well as working at height, the site is located at the southern end of Blackfriars Bridge, a busy London thoroughfare – so British Gypsum had to work closely with Conneely and the team at St George to support its ambitions.

To produce the luxury feel of the residential and leisure areas of One Blackfriars, the build included multiple snag stages to ensure the highest level of finish. These included: pre-decoration snag, construction snag, warranty snag, quality snag, directors snag and customer occupation snag phases

Stakeholders

Building owner:
St George plc
Architect:
Simpson Haugh, Broadway Malyan
Main contractor:
St George plc
Photographer:
Rick Gem
Saint-Gobain Team:
Wayne Bond