Merchant square, London UK

• Location: London, UK
• Construction type: new build
• Installation system: wall cladding with backing structure (CWB)
• Product: SMOOTH MATT
• Architect: The Kalyvides Partnership

4 Merchant Square East in Paddington is a magnificent addition to the Merchant Square Development but crucial to the design of this distinctive and elegant £87 million residential building is a facade system which includes cladding from leading specialist Carea.

Designed by The Kalyvides Partnership, the sixteen storey residential building forms part of the Paddington Basin waterside development and is now a focal point in the area due to its striking and aesthetically pleasing exterior façade, designed to create a visually stimulating building.

To achieve the impressive façade, The Kalyvides Partnership specified a number of different materials, including glass, curtain walling and rainscreen cladding, a key ingredient being mineral cladding from Carea.

To create the stunning façade specialist contractor Prater, working for main contractor Carillon, were called upon. The challenging project saw them complete the installation of the 9,700 m2 facade which required the management and installation of 20 different products and systems across multiple interfaces – Carea’s cladding with backing structure being two products (grooved panels and anchor panels). 

The Kalyvides Partnership specified 14mm low pressure Carea grooved cladding which along with the 16mm anchor cladding created a chequerboard pattern effect. Chosen in white with a smooth finish to create symmetry in the building’s decorative facade, the high quality of each Carea cladding panel creates a stylish finish which met the architect’s vision.

‘The concept for the use of the Carea stone was to form an organising sheer wall component,’ commented Tryfon Kalyvides, Partner at The Kalyvides Partnership. ‘This commenced at ground and first levels, progressing as a winding aesthetic system encapsulating the façade elements, rising to the thirteenth floor and then descending vertically to the ground on the east.’

Each of the Acantha and Artema panels were installed by Prater using innovative grooves at the top and bottom edges to create a seamless finish. As well as an efficient secret fix installation process, Carea cladding panels provide several performance benefits and were crucial to the building achieving a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. Offering a high degree of insulation, they will play a pivotal role in the development’s thermal efficiency, thereby lowering its heating needs and aiding sustainability.

With this striking new development along the Grand Union Canal now complete, Carea has been instrumental in creating a building which will continue to perform and look great for generations.