Napier and New Plymouth House

ITP’s FlameOut Block Standard building membrane has been chosen for another outstanding regeneration project in London following its specification at Napier and New Plymouth House.

The joint venture between Havering Council and Wates Residential will replace two poor quality 13-storey tower blocks with 197 properties offering a mix of one, two and three bedroom apartments of which 64% will be affordable homes. The 0.79-hectare site is being transformed into a new integrated community with residential, leisure and amenity space arranged around new open spaces, including three generously proportioned podium gardens and a new dedicated cycle route.

Low-rise buildings are being constructed to the north and west to sensitively address the existing residential edge, with increasing height along New Road. The design by JTP Architects references nearby Rainham Marshes, with a marshland-led landscape scheme and complementary colour palette, and the use of Rainham steel for the entrances and wayfinding. More than £1.3 million has been invested into the Havering community so far, through the Napier and New Plymouth House site alone.

FlameOut Block Standard became part of the specification when PIB Contractors chose the system to provide a flame-retardant vapour control layer for the buildings. ITP’s polyethylene-based solution is independently tested to British and international flame retardant standards. It has a Euro Class B,s1-d0 (EN 13501-1) rating, demonstrating the limited combustibility required for projects of this nature, and includes a mono-filament reinforcement scrim to provide excellent tensile strength and nail tear resistance.

ITP Managing Director, Marc van der Voort, said:

“In a post-Grenfell construction sector, reducing fire risk is fundamental to any project design. Our flame-retardant building membranes have been developed to protect against that risk while performing their primary role in preventing water vapour from reaching insulation and forming condensation. In providing that performance requirement, FlameOut Block Standard is meeting widespread demand from multi-storey developments like Napier and New Plymouth House. ITP are delighted to be part of this far-reaching renewal programme.”

Napier and New Plymouth House is the first site in phase one of Havering Council’s £1.5 billion programme which will deliver around 3,500 high-quality new homes across 12 estates over the next 12 to 15 years. When completed, the programme will double the amount of council rented accommodation and more than double the number of affordable homes.

Councillor Damian White, leader of Havering Council said:

“This project will provide much-needed quality, affordable homes for local people in our special borough. It will leave behind a legacy of skills, training, jobs and aspiration which goes far beyond just bricks and mortar.”

Images courtesy JTP – produced by Atelier 78