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Industrial character, reinterpreted for contemporary living…
Located near Leicester city centre, the Vera Mitchell Building delivers 122 contemporary apartments inspired by the city’s industrial heritage.
Designed by Staniforth Architects, the scheme uses Vandersanden’s Old Windsor facing brick to bring warmth, subtle variation and a strong sense of place to the facade. The result is a contemporary residential building that responds confidently to Leicester’s historic red brick vernacular.
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Project focus: Vera Mitchell Building, Leicester…
The facade design references the rhythm and proportions of Leicester’s historic industrial buildings, combining large glazed openings with deep reveals and exceptionally narrow brick piers that demanded precise detailing and material consistency.
Vandersanden’s Old Windsor facing brick was chosen for its soft tonal variation and ability to introduce warmth and texture without overpowering the building’s clean architectural form.
“We wanted a multi brick rather than a completely flat facade,” says Project Architect, Mathew Bell. “Old Windsor gave us very natural, subtle variation - a soft and warm tone that fits our design language.”
25% lower CO₂ emissions at our Beek production site…
Old Windsor, the facing brick specified for the Vera Mitchell Building in Leicester, is produced at Vandersanden’s Beek factory, where a €35 million investment has introduced an innovative steam drying technology using residual kiln heat and electric heat pumps.
The result is 30% faster drying and a 25% reduction in total CO₂ emissions across the entire factory. Beek also produces bricks including Cosmic, Majestic and Nevado Grey for projects across the UK, supporting Vandersanden’s wider ambition to become climate neutral by 2050 through innovation across manufacturing and facade design.
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Advancing offsite construction with Starship…
Vandersanden has announced a new strategic partnership with pioneering developer Starship, focused on accelerating the delivery of sustainable, high-quality housing across the UK.
As part of the collaboration, Starship is incorporating RoboBrick® - Vandersanden’s fully integrated industrial facade solution into its modular production model to support efficient, factory-controlled facade delivery at scale.
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Visualise brick texture more realistically…
Brick selection is about more than colour alone. Texture, mortar choice and tonal variation all influence how a facade is ultimately perceived across a finished scheme.
Our Texture Generator helps architects and specifiers create lifelike brick textures, making it easier to explore combinations, refine design ideas and support more confident specification decisions before materials are finalised.
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Your specification support contact…
From early material discussions through to project specification support, Vandersanden works closely with architects and specifiers to help realise design intent with confidence.
Mike Trott, Head of Specification at Vandersanden UK, is available to support your next project with expert advice, product guidance and brick selection support.
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Barbour ABI Limited. Company number: 13427982. Registered office: 5th Floor, 133 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7BX
T: 0151 353 3500 F: 0151 353 3637 E: editor@barbourproductsearch.info
Place of registration: England and Wales Company Number 370721.
Registered office: 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG
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