Marylebone Square

Marylebone Square, Luxury London Apartments

THE CHALLENGE

There were a number of significant challenges for the project starting with procuring powders for the frieze castings that matched the four different terracotta tiles that formed the surrounding fascia. The terracotta glaze colours were varied as were the gloss levels.

The space constraints on-site meant that the castings needed to be able to be separated and restacked according to the moving site programme at an off-site location. Cast aluminium has very different coating needs to extruded aluminium and is inherently riskier from a corrosion prevention point of view. Given the intricate and porous nature along with the potential for filiform corrosion to attack in the pores of the casting, it is essential to employ robust coating methods to ensure durability and longevity.

THE SOLUTION

Collaborating with the architect and foundry, we were able to maximise the quality and aesthetics of the coatings. We matched three of the colours using existing powders and the fourth was custom manufactured to meet the exact colour of the sample terracotta tile. The balustrade castings used a carefully selected metallic powder to highlight the intricate nature and natural beauty of the castings. The packaging method needed to allow for restacking and for manual handling on-site as the original intent to crane in crates on-site was no longer possible due to the space constraints.

When dealing with cast aluminium, it is essential to employ robust coating methods to ensure durability and longevity. This includes both the pre-treatment, and the composition of the materials used. The coating system used therefore utilised chromate pretreatment and specialist primer, combined with topcoats selected for their suitability.

THE DETAIL

Marylebone Square is a stunning new build collection of 54 luxury apartments, carefully chosen boutiques and restaurants, and a versatile community hall.