ECL has been awarded the contract from Morgan Ashurst to design and install an insulated brick cladding system to the Halls of Residence and Catering Development at Reading University.

ECL’s scope of works, valued at £1.5 million, is due to start late-September when they will install approximately 7500 m2 of Gebrick in three different colours to the exterior of the buildings.

ECL’s Construction Director, Dan Sillis, commented “This is an exciting challenge for ECL as it is the largest single Gebrick contract in the UK to date. We will also be installing radiused corners on the buildings, something that has not been done before by anyone.”

The principle of the Gebrick system is to provide a dry-fix, water tight, natural brick finish with improved insulation. The system is impervious to water, yet still allows the wall to breathe, and it can be fixed mechanically to flat, vertical and horizontal walls of new or renovated buildings.

The main advantages with Gebrick are the speed of installation, the ability to install from MEWPs rather than scaffold and not being totally weather dependent. This presents significant efficiencies to the programme and associated costs. All of this is achieved whilst still maintaining that traditional rustic appearance associated with conventional brickwork.