Michelmersh is proud to have supplied its new contemporary, handmade i-Line bricks from the Charnwood brand, for the new Ronald McDonald House located off Lambeth Road, accommodating families whose children are being treated at Evelina London Children’s Hospital. Approved by Lambeth Council in late 2014, the new building replaces Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity and NHS Foundation Trust’s 20-bedroom House near Guy’s Hospital, providing a larger 59 bedroom (236 bed) facility near London Bridge.
The brief was to create a modern yet homely feel that was both welcoming and comfortable, whilst also offering an inclusive environment, central to the Charities’ ethos.
After careful consideration by AEW Architects and with the support of Lancashire Brick & Tile (LBT, one of the leading UK specialists in the supply of quality façade materials), 130,000 slim-lined i-Line bricks were selected to represent a bespoke ‘Lambeth Blend’. As one of the 14 Ronald McDonald Houses in the UK, the Lambeth Road facility will provide free accommodation on or near hospital grounds, for families of children undergoing treatment in hospital, allowing them to be by their child’s bedside in a matter of moments, whilst maintaining a degree of normal life and reducing emotional and financial strain.
Ronald McDonald House using a Lambeth Blend i-Line brick
Michelmersh is always keen to work with LBT, which is now in its 26th year of trading, while they both share the same ethos as conscientious material suppliers, with bespoke services. LBT specialises in getting deeply involved in the design at concept stage, offering its architectural sector clients the best possible bespoke products. Additionally, Michelmersh and LBT have been working closely together on two other current schemes, to specify the same quality handmade contemporary products from the Charnwood I-Line range this year. The first scheme, a brand new bespoke modern themed house, designed for a retired architect, which uses the roman style brick alongside modern cladding after passing York’s conservation office’s sympathetic requirements. The second scheme is also in York and consists of a farm building refurbishment where the same Architects practice; Bramhall Blenkharn also convinced his client to use the 327x 42mm Winnington Blend handmade brick due to the resounding successful results on the house and to give the farm a more contemporary aesthetic.
Simon Jones, Consultant at LBT stated: “Having worked with Michelmersh over the past 30 years, I have always had an affinity with the Charnwood brand. One of the first large projects (Booth`s Supermarket in Knutsford) taught me at an early stage that Charnwood was the place to go for a high-end bespoke product. So years later, it came as no surprise, when AEW Architects approached us in reference to the Ronald McDonald House with sensitive planning issues, that we turned to Michelmersh. The building sat alongside Lambeth Palace, meaning that the local Heritage Planning department were also keen for a sympathetic material to be specified. However, as a high priority for project architect Alex Southall, the building was in need of a contemporary appearance, suggesting the linear clay module. It was therefore inevitable that the project would end up on Charnwood`s books, as I knew they could easily adapt to different sizes and more importantly, would improvise to ensure the perfect blend, making sure the bricks were not only handmade but they were also perfectly mixed by hand too.”
Simon Jones then continued to praise Michelmersh’s other brands: “Blockleys continue this same ethic of quality and service, and I plan to be using their product for many more years to come. As an independent advisor to all of our clients when it comes to bricks, we always try to be unbiased when it comes to recommendations. But in truth, we know that we can rely on certain manufacturers to do a professional job on every project, and Michelmersh is right there at the top.”
