INCA Case Study: Griffin Court, Hebburn

A large-scale EWI Pro external wall insulation and silicone render project for a new £31m Extra Care housing scheme in Hebburn.

Project Overview

A High-Performance Façade for a New Extra Care Scheme

Griffin Court is a new £31m Extra Care housing scheme on Glen Street in Hebburn, South Tyneside. Delivered through a partnership between Karbon Homes and South Tyneside Council, the development will provide 95 affordable apartments for people with additional care and support needs.

The scheme includes a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments, including specialist dementia-friendly homes, alongside shared spaces designed to support independence, wellbeing and community connection.

Rend Tech North East Ltd installed the EWI Pro façade system across the development. The project included approximately 1300m² of 160mm Rockwool Dual Density Mineral Wool external wall insulation to Y-wall substrate, alongside approximately 550m² of render-only application to blockwork.

Both areas were completed with EWI-075 Silicone Render in a 1.5mm textured finish, helping create a consistent external appearance across the building.

Project Team

 Key Project Details

The Importance of Griffin Court

Specialist Housing Designed Around Independence

Griffin Court has been designed to provide specialist Extra Care accommodation for people who need additional support while continuing to live independently within the community.

The development will provide 95 affordable apartments, including 75 one-bedroom homes and 20 two-bedroom homes. Of these, 17 will be specialist dementia-friendly apartments, helping meet the need for high-quality accommodation that supports residents with different care requirements.

The scheme is designed as more than a place to live. Shared facilities, including communal lounges, activity spaces, landscaped gardens and a public-facing café, will help create a welcoming environment where residents can stay connected to each other and the wider Hebburn community.

For the façade works, this meant the external finish needed to contribute to a building designed for long-term use. The EWI Pro system, 160mm Rockwool Dual Density Mineral Wool and silicone render finish formed part of a wider project focused on comfort, accessibility, durability and community value.

What the Scheme Provides

The façade forms part of a wider scheme designed to help residents live independently while remaining connected to their community.

System Selection

A1-Rated Rockwool and Silicone Render Across Mixed Substrates

The Griffin Court façade required a system that could support a large-scale Extra Care development with different substrate conditions and a consistent final appearance.

For the main insulated areas, 160mm Rockwool Dual Density Mineral Wool was installed to Y-wall substrate. This created the external wall insulation build-up across approximately 1300m² of the façade. The insulation boards carry a Euroclass A1 reaction to fire classification, supporting the project’s requirement for a robust, non-combustible insulation material within the façade build-up.

The system was reinforced with EWI-225 Premium Basecoat and fibreglass mesh, prepared with EWI-333 Topcoat Primer and finished with EWI-075 Silicone Render in a 1.5mm texture.

A further 550m² of render-only application was carried out to blockwork. These areas were finished with the same EWI-075 Silicone Render, allowing the insulated and render-only elevations to work together visually.

EWI Pro was selected as a commercially effective façade solution, helping the project meet its technical and aesthetic requirements while also supporting material availability, programme certainty and installation guidance.

Why This System Worked

The system selection balanced technical performance, visual consistency, commercial value and practical site support.

System Build-Up

160mm A1-Rated Rockwool Dual Density Mineral Wool to Y-Wall

The main insulated areas of Griffin Court used a 160mm Rockwool Dual Density Mineral Wool external wall insulation system installed to Y-wall substrate.

The build-up was designed to suit the substrate and project requirements, with EWI Pro supporting the specification, fixing patterns and detailing. The Rockwool Dual Density Mineral Wool boards used within the insulated areas carry a Euroclass A1 reaction to fire classification, making them a suitable insulation choice for a large-scale residential Extra Care development.

The insulation was installed as part of a reinforced external wall insulation system, finished with EWI-075 Silicone Render in a 1.5mm texture. The system included EWI-225 Premium Basecoat, fibreglass mesh and EWI-333 Topcoat Primer before the final silicone render finish.

A separate render-only build-up was used across approximately 550m² of blockwork. These areas were finished to match the insulated elevations, helping create one consistent external appearance across the building.

Mineral Wool onto Y-Wall Build-Up

1. Y-Wall Substrate
2. Starter Track
3. Adhesive
4. Mineral Wool
5. Mechanical Fixings
6. Basecoat
7. Fibreglass Mesh
8. Topcoat Primer
9. Silicone Render

Render-Only onto Blockwork Build-Up

10. Blockwork
11. Substrate Primer
12. Basecoat
13. Fibreglass Mesh
14. Render Primer
15. Render

The façade brought together A1-rated Rockwool Dual Density Mineral Wool and render-only blockwork areas under one consistent 1.5mm silicone render finish.

System Components

Materials Used Across the Façade

The Griffin Court façade used a combination of EWI Pro materials selected to support the insulated system and render-only areas.

The main insulated elevations were completed using 160mm Rockwool Dual Density Mineral Wool, mechanically fixed to the substrate and reinforced with EWI-225 Premium Basecoat and fibreglass mesh. EWI-333 Topcoat Primer was then applied to prepare the surface for the final render.

EWI-075 Silicone Render in a 1.5mm texture was used as the final decorative finish across both the insulated elevations and render-only blockwork areas. This helped create a unified finish across the development, despite the different build-ups behind the render.

System Components

Each component helped deliver a consistent silicone render façade across both insulated elevations and render-only blockwork areas.

EWI Pro’s Role

Technical Support, Bespoke Detailing and Programme Planning

EWI Pro played an active role throughout the Griffin Court project, supporting Rend Tech North East Ltd with technical guidance, site visits, bespoke detailing and material planning.

Business Development Manager Tyler Cooper and Technical Manager Paul Harris carried out numerous site visits, attending the project at key stages of the façade works. Their involvement helped support the specification, installation approach, fixing patterns and detailing required for the Y-wall substrate and render-only areas.

EWI Pro also provided bespoke technical drawings for use on site, helping give the installer clear, project-specific guidance. This was particularly important on a large façade package involving different substrates, winter working conditions and a consistent final render finish.

To support the required appearance, bespoke colour samples were created to match the finish requested for the project. EWI Pro also held reserved stock in its warehouses to help ensure material availability and reduce the risk of delays.

EWI Pro Support

EWI Pro supported the project from specification to site delivery, helping with bespoke drawings, colour samples, fixing patterns, detailing and material planning.

Project Delivery

Managing Scale, Mixed Substrates and Winter Working

Delivering the Griffin Court façade required careful coordination across a large external envelope, with works taking place across different elevations, substrates and stages of the build.

The project included approximately 1300m² of 160mm Rockwool Dual Density Mineral Wool to Y-wall substrate, alongside approximately 550m² of render-only application to blockwork. These areas required different installation approaches, while still needing to achieve one consistent 1.5mm silicone render finish across the completed façade.

The programme also ran through winter, creating additional challenges around weather, sequencing and suitable application conditions. This made planning especially important, with works needing to be coordinated carefully to keep the façade package moving while maintaining the correct installation approach.

Material availability was another important factor on a project of this scale. Reserved stock was held in EWI Pro warehouses to help ensure the required materials were available when needed, reducing the risk of delays to the installation programme.

Through regular site involvement, project-specific detailing and careful planning, the team maintained a consistent approach across the façade.

Key Delivery Factors

The project required close planning to manage scale, mixed substrates, winter conditions and a consistent final façade finish.

More Than a Housing Scheme

Supporting Independence, Wellbeing and Community

Griffin Court is more than a façade project. The development has been designed to provide specialist Extra Care accommodation for people who need additional support, helping residents live independently while remaining part of the wider Hebburn community.

The scheme will provide 95 affordable apartments, including specialist dementia-friendly homes, alongside shared facilities that encourage social interaction, wellbeing and day-to-day independence. Communal lounges, activity spaces, landscaped gardens and a public-facing café all contribute to a setting designed around connection and quality of life.

For the façade works, this gave the project a wider purpose. By helping deliver a consistent, high-quality external finish, EWI Pro and Rend Tech North East Ltd contributed to a scheme designed for long-term value, comfort and community use.

Scheme Impact

Griffin Court supports more than the delivery of new homes. It creates a setting designed around independence, wellbeing and community connection.

Project Outcome

A Unified Façade for a Landmark Extra Care Scheme

The completed façade at Griffin Court brings the different areas of the building together through one consistent silicone render finish.

Although the project involved both insulated and render-only sections, the final appearance is clean and unified across the development. The 1.5mm EWI-075 Silicone Render finish helped create a modern external appearance suited to a new Extra Care scheme.

The façade works also contributed to the wider quality of the development. As a building designed for long-term residential use, the external finish needed to support durability, consistency and a high standard of appearance across the site.

Through close collaboration between Rend Tech North East Ltd and EWI Pro, the project was delivered with the technical support, planning and detailing required for a large-scale specialist housing development.

Key Project Outcomes

The completed façade supports a high-quality Extra Care development designed around long-term use, accessibility and community value.