Blackhorse Mills occupies the site of the former Ferry Lane industrial site next to Walthamstow’s High Maynard Reservoir and is an environmentally sensitive and vibrant residential location, one of the largest purpose-built rental developments in the UK.

“We were involved with the architects very early in the project, which is fundamentally best practice, but still occurs only rarely,” said Richard Besant, Director, Powdertech. “This meant that we could discuss the look and feel they had in mind for the buildings and ensure that the design of the extruded aluminium cladding panels together with the right powder coating finish would achieve the desired effect.”

After producing a series of powder coated aluminium samples from which the shade of one and the metallic sheen effect of another were the preferred options, Powdertech combined these attributes in a unique bespoke shade and named it “Ferry Red”.

External cladding of a ‘reeded’ design surrounds all four sides of the buildings, and the balconies. Powdertech coated 12000 square metres of the extruded aluminium profiles at a minimum of 60 microns thickness; the undulating nature of the profiles required close attention in order to ensure that all parts of the surface were properly coated. The finish carries a 25 year guarantee for gloss, colour and adhesion and is Qualicoat class 1 approved.

The ‘reeded’ cladding, in combination with the use of non-reflective materials, screening and a zero-car policy allows the development to be sensitive to its wetland location in design and environmental impact. Visual impact is ensured by the play of light across the reddish/metallic “Ferry Red” shade on the undulating surface, creating a stunning effect throughout the day.

If you have a colour or concept in mind call the team at Powdertech (Corby) Limited, and they will be happy to share their expertise.