Keystone’s bespoke flat arch brick slip feature lintels and award-winning Hi-therm+ lintels have brought both aesthetic, thermal and offsite construction benefits to a stunning new Thames Valley development.
In the vibrant Georgian market town of Marlow and close to the River Thames, Riverpark Villas consists of four stunning three-bedroom townhouses spread across four floors. In order to create a sense of individuality and character, developer Bellwood Homes required high specification building materials for the proposed dwellings in order to achieve a seamless fit with the surrounding environment. In addition, the specified materials needed to incorporate energy saving features to achieve lower carbon emissions within SAP.
Working with the housebuilder, Keystone’s technical team designed heavy-duty and extra heavy-duty lintels for window and door openings which accommodated brick span openings between 675mm to 2475mm. A consignment of bricks was collected from site, and delivered to Keystone’s manufacturing facility, where each brick was cut to specific dimensions for alternating brick patterns on the face and underside soffit return. The bricks were then bonded to the load bearing lintels in a weatherproof controlled environment using a BBA approved adhesive. T he patented perforated design of a Keystone Brick Slip Feature Lintel allows the adhesive to squeeze through the perforations and form a ‘mushroom’ on the inside, providing a mechanical and chemical bond between the steel lintel and the bricks.
The offsite construction method deployed by Bellwood Homes facilitated a faster build schedule by eliminating delays in achieving the intricate brick detailing due to disruptive weather. Health and safety concerns and costs were also reduced by eliminating the requirement for skilled labour working from heights for a prolonged period of time in a busy street area below. All of the prefabricated brick slip feature lintels were delivered to site as one unit, ready for final pointing.
Keystone’s BBA approved Hi-therm+ lintels improved the energy performance of the external envelope across window and door junctions by reducing thermal bridging and offering lower Psi Values compared to standard lintels. This fabric first approach to lower carbon emissions within SAP ensured each new home is energy efficient, without any additional maintenance required compared to alternative bolt on technologies.
Keith Perfect, Project Manager at Bellwood Homes said: “Keystone’s prefabricated brick slip feature lintels facilitated a faster build schedule on site. The offsite construction solution helped achieve the desired intricate brick detailing for the exterior of the property, and in the process saved on time and costs.
Keystone is the largest supplier of steel lintels in the UK and Ireland and carries more stock than any of its rivals. For bespoke applications, architects, housebuilders and contractors can specify brick feature requirements by utilising Keystone’s free Brick Slip Feature Lintel design service.
With the homes now complete, Keystone Lintels has once again played an important role in both the efficiency of the construction process as well as the long term thermal performance and character of this townhouse development.
