This has been one of the most significant years in our
35-year history. Not only have we invested £1.5 million in brand-new machinery
which has transformed how the company makes bricks, but we have also supplied
the bricks for the new library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, which won the
prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize, the highest accolade in the architectural
calendar.
Over the years, we have undertaken
significant technological improvements, culminating in this £1.5 million
overhaul and renewal of our manufacturing process, which has speeded up
production, facilitated two brand-new products and increased efficiency. This
is a transformational move, by far the biggest and most important in our
history. Our revolutionary new manufacturing line will combine three different
types of brick - the Handmade Style, as currently produced, together with Water
Struck and Pressed Bricks.
Most of the Water Struck Bricks, which are currently very
popular in London, are imported, so we are fulfilling an important demand and
supporting the sustainability agenda. We have an impressive track record in
London, with iconic projects across the capital, and we can now build on this.
More generally, this investment will enable us to
manufacture high-quality, UK-made bricks for many years to come and it reflects
our commitment to the brick industry and the astounding architectural projects
using bricks.
These are challenging
times but we are confident we can maintain the progress we made last year,
despite inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, this year. We are flourishing
in commercial property and education sectors, whilst residential housing, which
has been our staple for a number of years, remains strong. In these testing times,
it is vital to spread our work across as many different markets as possible.
Apart from the
award-winning Magdalene College Library, high-profile contracts that we have
completed during the past 12 months include Mount Row, a mixed-use development
in the heart of Mayfair; a prestigious residential housing development at Kings
Cross; and two superb residential projects in Yorkshire, at Felixkirk and
Easingwold. Looking ahead, we are currently working on a magnificent house in
East Lothian and two landmark commercial projects in Baker Street in London and
in Oxford.
Meanwhile we are now
beginning work on Circle Square, a massive mixed-use development in the heart
of Manchester, where we have just signed a £600,000 contract to provide
thousands of specially manufactured bricks.. Circle Square is changing the face
of the city, featuring over 1,000 new homes, 400,000 sq ft of flexible office
space, a multi-storey car park & hotel, plus shops, restaurants, bars and
Symphony Park, the city’s newest green space.
What’s more, we have
been shortlisted in two categories in the prestigious Brick Awards, the Oscars
of the brick industry, organised by the Brick Development Association. The two categories are the Housing
category for the stunning Lancer Square development in Kensington, London, and
for the acclaimed Renshaw Hall student housing development in Liverpool in the
Specialist Brickwork Contractor category.
We are tremendously proud to have
been shortlisted for these two fantastic projects this year. Huge thanks are
due to the management team and employees at York Handmade for their
imagination, enterprise and hard work, which all combined to make these
projects so successful and so memorable. It is vitally important to stress that
these two short-listed entries are completely different jobs in design and
execution, graphically illustrating our ability to work in a wide variety of
colours and styles. We believe we can tackle any brickwork project
successfully.
Looking ahead more
generally, it is encouraging to report that brick remains the building material
of choice for many architects and specifiers across the UK. We particularly
value the contacts we have built up over the years with architects, planners,
self-builders and developers. We look forward to continuing those relationships
in the years to come and are confident that our new plant will help us
immensely in achieving this objective.