INCA Case Study: Spinners Yard, Leeds

Spinners Yard is a new high quality build-to-rent 11 x storey 185-apartment development for Rise Homes on a busy route into Leeds City Centre as part of the Mabgate regeneration area. The client appointed 5Plus Architects to design and provide construction details for the scheme and Clegg Construction were the main contractor successful in securing the contract to build. Clegg had two years earlier constructed another BTR scheme in Sheffield for Rise Homes using the Alsecco Ecomin 400 system with clay slips so the architect was approached to consider the system for what would become Spinners Yard.

Given the overall desire for the building to provide some industrial heritage in the choice of facade materials, the local vernacular comprised strong brick references, most notably the army recruitment building sitting opposite, noted specifically by the planning officer and Alsecco set about developing a mix of slips with this variety of colour shades and textures. This was best achieved by the use of the lightweight Meldorfer brick slips which can be adjusted in colours and textures with subtle adjustments as required, far more subtly than with clay. The final mix was achieved and the installation progressed onto the SFS framing, achieving a 0.12 u-value with the 250mm mineral wool insulation board.

The installation by KE Peck, an installer on Alsecco’s competent installer network, went incredibly smoothly and the building now sits as a shining example of modern construction methods with the brick façade areas enhanced by adjoining old-gold metal rainscreen cladding. The completed development was a highlight of the recent UKREiiF event and the project has been listed in the Yorkshire Property Awards.

Arron Tann, lead architect for the scheme for 5Plus Architects provided his thoughts on the Ecomin system used on Spinners Yard:

“Sustainability was at the heart of our client brief, and the brick slip façade system played a pivotal role in helping us meet that challenge. One striking fact still resonates, that for every 14 lorry loads of traditional bricks, just one is needed for Meldofer brick slips. When you trace that benefit back through the supply and manufacturing chain, the carbon savings become significant. Matching the slips to our traditional benchmark, navigating planning approvals, and refining the detailed design, all while achieving programme gains and reducing embodied carbon, demonstrated the real value of this system in delivering sustainable outcomes.”

Rise Homes are delighted with the once brownfield transformation describing it as ‘modern living meeting historic charm in the heart of Leeds’.