A 100% affordable housing scheme at Arnold Road, in Bow, East London, will create 62 homes in two mid-rise buildings of six and eight storeys. Designed by architects Henley Halebrown, the scheme – which was shortlisted for the 2020 Housing Design Awards – is cleverly woven into a compact triangular site. The architectural concept breaks what might have been one long building block into two separate buildings, permitting morning and afternoon light to penetrate between the buildings. This reduces their impact and improves the microclimate for residents and neighbours as well as increasing the surface area of the new buildings to achieve 80% dual aspect homes. Together the buildings frame an entrance courtyard designed to encourage residents to meet and talk, and children to play together.

Thermally broken recessed balcony terraces
The heavy masonry façades incorporate recessed balcony terraces and Schöck have supplied Isokorb structural thermal breaks for both the in-situ concrete balconies and the precast concrete façade banding. On the eight-storey South Block the inset balconies are supported on two sides using the Schöck Isokorb T type Q. This is a load bearing thermal break element for transferring shear forces on supported balconies, recessed balconies and for occasional peak shear forces. The six-storey North Block features typical internal corner balconies with external corner column support and again features the Schöck Isokorb T type Q, along with the T type H for the transmission of planned horizontal forces parallel and/or perpendicular to the insulation level.

Two Isokorb types for the stone bandings
For the precast stone bandings on the project two Isokorb products were utilised. The T type F, which is a load-bearing thermal insulation element for curtain parapets and balustrades, which transfers normal forces, moments and shear forces. The T type K is also used and is a load bearing thermal break element for free cantilevered balcony construction and transfers negative moments and positive shear forces. For Arnold Road the product had to be specially adapted and required a bespoke design 500mm in length – but supplied in 1m lengths. The precaster, Barnsley-based Con-Tech Services Ltd, then cut the Isokorb in half on site for the required detail. To avoid any clash of reinforcement, the two covers were designed and detailed with 50mm cover required on the north and south elevation and 30mm cover required on the east and west elevation.

The widest range in Europe
The fully compliant and dependable Schöck Isokorb range offers the widest selection of structural thermal break solutions from any European supplier; and in the UK enables projects to meet full compliance with the necessary Building Regulations (and the impending Future Homes Standard criteria where relevant). In addition to the Isokorb types used on this project, there are also solutions for concrete-to-steel, steel-to-steel, renovation projects – and even a maintenance free alternative to wrapped parapets. All products have the security of independent BBA Certification, which provides NHBC approval. The temperature factor requirement (fRSI) used to indicate condensation risk, which must be equal to, or greater than 0.75 for residential buildings, is also easily met by incorporating the Isokorb.

Contact Schöck on 01865 290 890; or for full details of the Isokorb range of solutions visit: www.schoeck.com/en-gb/isokorb