INCA Case Study: Century House, Horsham

Century House is a prominent new Ashgrove Homes development of 49 one and two-bedroom luxury apartments close to Horsham station and town centre. This high rise building has been cleverly designed with open aspects for all; the façade includes a variety of balconies, 8 of the studio apartments located in the middle of the rear elevation have Juliette balconies, all upper floor units have an external balcony and/or private roof terrace space, and all ground floor units have external ground floor amenity spaces.

The materials used for the external elevations of the building comprise a mix of brickwork and render to the lower stories, and cladding and curtain walling to the upper stories. The use of glazing, particularly on the north (front) elevation form an architectural feature of this new iconic town centre building.

Façade Specialists, M&M Contracts expertly installed SPSenvirowall’s Cavity System 1 (CS1) with a white textured silicone render with both 1.5mm and 3.0mm grain size, complemented with Mono high density mineral wool board as part of the façade package supplied to the project. The façade finish was enhanced with the use of acrylic brick slip with a sympathetic “Surrey Autumn Red” finish

To provide a thermally efficient building, a 140mm high density mineral wool was specified along with the use of high impact mesh in vulnerable areas which also forms part of the A2-s1, d0 fire classification

Chosen both for its KIWA BDA classification and for having an A rated fire classification, Cavity System 1 benefits from EuroClass A1 components and drainage space between the cladding and sheathed framed structure, ensuring any potential water is drained.

As demonstrated on this project, the CS1 system can also accommodate a range of finishes from coloured render to brick effect façades, allowing the architect flexibility and freedom of design.

A standout feature of the full height façade is its brick slip finish; SpeedySlip was chosen as it provided the traditional appearance of a brick finished building but with technology of a lightweight brick slip finish. Each slip measures only 4-6mm thick and can easily be fixed to basecoat renders with our ultra-high flexible bonding adhesive.

SpeedySlip an ideal finish for external wall insulation systems and it perfectly complements our CS1 system as it is ideally suited for high rise developments where traditional brick slips would not be recommended. Furthermore it benefits from BBA and KIWA BDA Certification.

Completed in November 2021, and now a landmark building in the centre of Horsham, Century House, sits within a boundary of existing trees and also provides a range of communal spaces.