Marshalls Bricks & Masonry are providing a range of facing bricks that are integral to transforming the site of a former Nestlé chocolate factory into an exciting residential and commercial village in Hayes, Middlesex.

The conservation area and brownfield site containing four listed buildings and industrial architecture is being restored and repurposed into a multi-use development comprising more than 1,500 homes, commercial premises, a café, a private gym and nine acres of gardens and green open space, set alongside the Grand Union Canal.

Developer, Barratt London, aims to sensitively bring this historical site back to life, protecting the heritage value and former industrial nature of the site whilst maximising the potential to deliver new homes, jobs and community facilities.

dMFK Architects and Makower Architects specifically selected Marshalls facing bricks in Diamond White, Marble Grey, Harrogate Burnt Harvest, Sapphire Blue and Malvern Burnt Mulberry to facilitate their vision.

Marshalls Bricks & Masonry provide a range of facing bricks in different colours, textures and finishes, from traditional reds, to more contemporary colours, and in sand-faced, stock and weathered finishes. Moreover, Marshalls facing bricks have significantly less embodied carbon than clay bricks - almost 50% less over their whole lifecycle.

“We chose Marshalls concrete facing bricks because we wanted to retain as much of the original building façades as possible whilst restoring the majesty of this historical development,” explains Tim Makower of Makower Architects. “The building façades are simple and strong, celebrating the tough character of the factory, and we’re using depth and differentiation in the new bricks to ensure that the muscularity of the blocks retains a human scale.

Once demolition on the site started, it was found that parts of the old buildings had actually, been constructed using old concrete bricks, so it seems fitting that concrete bricks would be used alongside clay bricks in the re-build.”

Marshalls concrete bricks are an inherent CO₂ absorber and they are 100% recyclable. Moreover, concrete brick reaches the standard required for Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, with a BRE A+ Rating for Brickwork and the Responsible Sourcing of Materials so it’s a win-win for the built environment that we’re creating and the people who will live and work in it.