The award-winning York
Handmade Brick Company has secured one of the most prestigious contracts in its
36-year history.
The company, based at
Alne, near Easingwold, is supplying over 20,000 specially manufactured bricks
for a brand-new hotel in the heart of Martigny, one of Switzerland’s most
historic towns.
The contract is worth
£33,000 and is a resounding endorsement of York Handmade’s decision to invest
£1.5m in brand-new machinery earlier this year.
Lô Dzè is situated 30
metres from the main square. It consists of two separate buildings around a
central courtyard which is open to the public. Above ground it comprises
Borsari, a boutique hotel with 51 rooms and the Kitchen 180 (Lô Dzè is exactly
180 km away from the very centre of the Roman cities of Lyon, Milan and Zürich),
which services the wine bar, restaurant
and the café, the courtyard and terraces.
Lô Dzè also features vast
underground Roman baths, Les Bains Publics, in the space that was formerly Les
Caves Orsat, a 19th Century winery.
John Cretton, of QDS
Leisure, who are masterminding this project, explained why he chose York
Handmade to supply the bricks.
“I was looking for a
brick that was handmade with the right colours and the right size. The massive
nature of the architecture, one side of the street facade is windowless apart
from a half-moon opening on the ground floor, meant that the brick had to be
visually strong. Overall, it was a winning combination of colour, form, texture
and cost.
John continued: “Martigny
was an important Roman town, the last town to the north built by the legionary
architects. It had three Roman bath houses. We have built the fourth. Interestingly,
pottery and other remains from Roman Britain has been found in Martigny.
He added: “The concept
for the hotel was first developed over 10 years ago. Construction began in 2021
and it will officially open this September.”
David
Armitage, the chairman of York Handmade, who are now the country’s leading
small independent brickmaker, commented: “This is a very prestigious project
for us, especially in the context of these challenging economic times. It has
been a tremendous boost for our factory and a great honour to contribute to a
pioneering and innovative development in such an historic town.
“This is a crucial year for us at York
Handmade. We have invested £1.5 million in brand-new machinery
which has transformed how we make our bricks. Over the years, we have
undertaken significant technological improvements, culminating in this overhaul
and renewal of our manufacturing process, which has speeded up production,
facilitated two brand-new products and increased efficiency.
“This
has proved to be a transformational move, by far the biggest and most
significant in our history. Our revolutionary new manufacturing line combine three different types of
brick - the Handmade Style, as currently produced, together with Water Struck
and Pressed Bricks.
“For this very special project, we are supplying
327x102x50mm Hunsingore Blend bricks, which will be cut into brick slips. They
will help to make the new hotel visually stunning and blend in seamlessly with
the other historic buildings in the town.”