Brooks Dye Works, a regeneration scheme in Bristol, is one of the latest developments to benefit from Taylor Lane Timber Frame’s design expertise and product innovation.
Brooks Dye Works, in St Werburghs, Bristol, is a development comprising 113 one, two, three and four-bedroom homes.
The site centres around the restored iconic Brooks Dye Works chimney, with each property offering open plan, flexible living with parking and access to outside space. The former Brooks Laundry dates back to the 19th century when the site was used for industrial units by Brooks Dyers and Cleaners.
Developer Acorn Property Group worked with Hereford-based Taylor Lane Timber Frame on the project, using both its Advanced wall system and prefabricated pitched roof cassettes to help reduce time onsite.
Dave Gittins, Construction Director for Acorn’s Bristol Region, says: “Through careful planning, our teams worked to ensure the scheme aligned with our ‘different by design’ ethos, complementing the surrounding area while also making improvements to the public realm.”
Acorn appointed sub-contractor Taylor Lane Timber Frame because they were impressed by the quality of their workmanship and the speed and accuracy associated with timber frame construction.
Taylor Lane worked with the main contractor to deliver all 113 properties. The task was particularly complex at the design stage and during construction because the project included some intricate and site-specific details.
Complex roofs
© Acorn Property Group.
Taylor Lane had to contend with a variety of substrates, building up from block and beam slabs, cast concrete slabs and, in some instances, over a steel frame for the underground carpark. Different tolerances and settlement issues had to be factored in.
Some of the properties were near existing dwellings so appropriate products and methods had to be used to ensure compliance, particularly with fire regulations.
The development includes a mix of two- and three-storey terraced houses and apartment blocks. Numerous roofs were designed to accommodate the different property types, including pitched truss, cut and flat roofs. There is a complex fall design for the apartment roofs. To ensure the development blends well with its surroundings some properties have parapets – a traditional architectural feature in the Bristol area.
Offsite construction reduces build time
Two blocks of six terraced houses enabled Taylor Lane to showcase its design skills and one of the many benefits of offsite timber frame construction.
© Acorn Property Group.
Each of the 12 properties in that section features a pitched roof with vaulted ceilings on the second floor. Taylor Lane engineered these so the insulated roof cassettes could be fabricated offsite at its factory in Herefordshire and assembled onsite in around 10 days. This reduced the build time, minimised working at height and omitted the labour-intensive process of insulating between rafters onsite.
The factory-formed floor cassettes were also made offsite to create roofs for the apartment blocks. Taylor Lane then constructed the appropriate falls using decked cassettes and firring.
Where possible, the roofs were formed at floor or slab level and lifted to wall plate level to further minimise the requirement for working at height. Even with restricted lay-down space, in some instances, the cassettes could be installed directly from the lorry bed to final position, such was the speed of installation.
Improvements were also made to the public realm, opening up spaces that had been lost since the 1950s. The Alfred Brooks square centres around the restored chimney and creates a focal point for the community.
All images © Acorn Property Group.
* This article was originally published in Supplying Timber magazine.
