INCA Case Study: Hove Gardens, Brighton

High five for Hove Gardens bespoke facade blending

Hove Gardens, Brighton, is a signature south east coast new build that brings 216 homes to the BTR market alongside 20,000sqft of commercial space in this British coastal location.

Hove Gardens includes a mix of 18, 12, 9 and 7 storey blocks. It represents a masterclass in customised architectural facade combinations with a blend of five finishes that have realised the architectural vision for this flagship build in a seaside location known for its pebble beaches, regency townhouses and elegant mews. 

The system was chosen for its thermal value, commercial benefit and for its ability to achieve the architectural design intent.

Facade’s homage to Hove

The ‘high five’ of facade blending brings a distinctive, contemporary look to this signature building’s four elevations, using visual differences and chromatic contrast to create a structure that seamlessly combines modern aesthetics with Hove’s historic charm and pays homage to the locality’s beach hut lined promenades.

The Aliva UK facade blend includes sustainable build choices, helping to maximise thermal efficiency with the main facade featuring 4,000sqm of A1 rated External Wall Insulation clay brick slip system in a buff multi colourway – Aliva’s Termok8 Minerale Modular D Clay.

Architecturally designed as a subtle reference to Hove’s brightly coloured beach huts, 800sqm of Aliva’s A1 fire-rated EWI system incorporating olive green glazed ceramic profiled tiles were installed vertically on the building’s elevations.

The project also features accent facades including two types of elegant stone rainscreen cladding, Caliza Capri in white was used for horizontal banding running up the building elevations and Atlantic Grey was used horizontally for focus at the ground floor level.

Aliva’s anodised Alucovering aluminium cladding in an anthracite tone was used vertically, as an accent facade detail to pull the eye to the higher floors and as detailing around larger window drops.

Sustainability and thermal value

This system complemented the project’s sustainability credentials, given the thermal efficiency benefits that the EWI brick slip yield.

The project had several detail interfaces, however, the U-Values achieved were 0.12W/m2k and 0.16W/m2k. These thermal values were inputted into the final thermal calculations for the entire building.

This system reduced material and weight on the project plus brick slip production requires approximately 85% less energy than conventional brick production, adding to the NZC contribution.

Installation

INCA member PIC Construction Group was the installation contractor. The system was installed over a light weight steel frame with a 12mm cement particle board to the outer face. The light weight studs were infilled with mineral wool and finished internally with a Vapour Control membrane and 2 layers of gypsum plasterboard.

The Aliva system was directly fixed using specified mechanical fixings, with the insulation layer installed board-by-board, including a cementitious levelling layer to the rear of the insulation. This allows any tolerances within the frame to be adjusted and a vertically level face provided for the subsequent layers.

The required number of fixings were installed, calculated using engineered wind calculations which are bespoke to each particular project.

Once the boards are installed the reinforced cement basecoat layers are applied. The first layer allows the insertion of a reinforcing mesh, which is lapped to create a monolithic covering across the entire facade. This mesh is also mechanically fixed with stainless steel fixings and washers to comply with fire requirements. Once the final layer of basecoat is applied and smoothed the basecoat is allowed to cure.

Once the basecoat has cured, the cement based bedding mortar is applied to the surface and the 15mm clay slips are installed by embedding the slips into the bedding mortar. Full embedment is achieved. This continues to achieve the brick facade. The slips are then pointed with an Aliva pointing grout and struck to achieve the final finish.

Design intent

Oliver Kampshoff, Director at the project’s architect CJCT, said:

“The facade design has derived from the local building typologies within the Hove area. The narrow, slender forms are evident throughout the wider context and have informed the architectural vernacular of the scheme, which is also carried through into specific details and material choices, incorporating brick, stone, metal and fluted glazed terracotta cladding.

 

“The richness of the material palette is a reflection of the building’s local context with buff brick as the base layer that ties into the materiality of the neighbourhood along Goldstone Villas. Subtle variations in the tonality of the brick define the horizontal rhythm of the elevations along Conway and Ellen Street.

 

“Light coloured stone banding establishes a vertical stack around the development’s signature elements on the main corners and the 18 storey tower at the heart of the scheme. The tops of the building are expressed through an increased use of anthracite coloured metal cladding, evoking a lowered roof line along Conway Street and emphasizing the variation in scale.

 

“To add a final layer of refinement and lustre to the otherwise earthy coloured elevations, vertical bands of glazed green terracotta flutes are incorporated as a subtle reference to Hove’s brightly coloured beach huts.

 

 “This carefully selected palette of materials creates interest and underlines the building’s composition by establishing clearly defined base, middle and top elements.”

Sustainable design

The scheme has delivered an outstanding mixed-use development on a previously ‘neglected plot’, with a number of warehouses.

Opposite Hove train station, the location makes Hove Gardens perfect for professionals/commuters and promotes sustainable transport infrastructure.

Working closely with the main contractor RG Group on behalf of client Watkin Jones Group, the design for Hove Gardens is a testament to the architect’s commitment to eco-conscious living, with its residential accommodation achieving Building Research Establishment’s Home Quality Mark Level 3 rating.

Meanwhile, the commercial spaces are designed to BREEAM Excellent certification, showcasing CJCT’s dedication to sustainability and environmental responsibility.