Fulham Wharf is a landmark regeneration scheme being delivered by Barratt London to provide nearly 500 new homes on the 3.2 hectare West London site. It will also transform derelict warehouses and an existing Sainsbury’s supermarket in a project spanning several phases. VMZINC® is already a prominent feature of what had been one of London’s few remaining areas of undeveloped waterfront.
Architects Broadway Malyan specified standing seam façades and roofs in a bespoke PIGMENTO GREY PLUS®, which has been installed to great effect by Avonside Group. PIGMENTO finishes incorporate mineral pigments resulting in beautifully organic shades of pre-weathered zinc. Their subtlety and depth is unlike anything in other metal, the texture showing through the colour in much the same way as the grain of wood does through varnish.
In all, a mix of 467 one, two, three, four, five and six-bedroom apartments, penthouses and townhouses will be completed by next year. The new 120,000 sq. ft. Sainsbury’s store is ‘wrapped’ with a screen of residential townhouses which follow the form and scale of the existing warehouse buildings, rising in height toward the river.
VMZINC PLUS is a unique, patented product that allows zinc to be installed on ventilated plywood using concealed fasteners. Listed in the BRE Green Book (www.greenbooklive.com), it is suitable for both new builds and refurbishments and where required it can provide continuity from the walls through to the roof. Seams can be vertical, horizontal or diagonal and crimped in either a single or double lock (roofs require double lock). Flat, curved or complex facades can be formed using panels of up to four metres in length and, on this project, 500mm width, all 0.8mm thick. Sliding clips are used on longer panels and fixed clips on those of two metres or less. At no more than 6kg/m2, the system is very light in weight and panels can be fixed to either soft wood, open gap boarding or plywood.
At Fulham Wharf, traditional forms of construction and materials are being used to harmonise with the local vernacular and create recognisable building typologies. Supporting retail development including cafés and restaurants is also being included in a scheme which will provide public and private spaces.
