Nexus® brick faced soffit units and lintels from Ancon were specified for a major regeneration project at the edge of the 1969 Silchester estate, including 112 mixed tenure homes and associated communal hub.

Constructed on land previously occupied by garages, a day centre and other estate buildings, the scheme is designed around a new communal garden and integrates an existing 20-storey tower within a new urban block. It runs alongside an elevated railway line with arches that have been brought into new commercial use.

Bespoke soffit and lintel solutions were designed and manufactured for these areas using the innovative Nexus system. A large suspended brick soffit at the main entrance, too heavy and complex for a traditional precast concrete solution, was achieved using Nexus soffit units – a two-part solution that combines a high integrity stainless steel MDC brickwork support system from brick support specialist, Ancon, fixed directly to the structural frame with Ibstock Kevington’s brick faced soffit units, to produce a lightweight solution.

A further bespoke deep corner soffit was supplied for the community hub along with two 8-metre long Nexus stretcher bond lintels, which, with an available height of just 75mm, also could not be achieved in precast concrete.

Like the cast concrete units, the Nexus units were prefabricated off-site to precise specifications and faced with Ibstock brick slips from the same batch as the main brickwork, ensuring a flawless texture and colour match to the main façade brickwork.

The result is a unique and striking building, carefully designed and constructed to sit alongside the established blocks that will serve as a benchmark for the ongoing regeneration of North Kensington’s residential social housing area.