Products delivered
LockMetal designed, supplied, and installed a bespoke package of architectural aluminium cladding and associated interface components, including:
• Mirror-finish aluminium cladding panels
• Curved cladding systems to feature elevations
• Bespoke pressed metalwork, flashings, and trims
• Balcony soffit and interface detailing
• Window and facade interface components integrated with adjacent packages
Kew Bridge Rise
Overview
Kew Bridge Rise, built on the site of a former Citroën garage, is a large-scale mixed-use residential development in Brentford, West London, led by Hill Group in joint venture with L&Q. Designed as a new urban neighbourhood, the project combines private and affordable housing with a strong focus on community and placemaking.
The scheme forms part of the wider Brentford regeneration programme. It will create over 400 residential units across multiple buildings, alongside commercial space, a nursery, and landscaped public area.
With the main external wall package already let, LockMetal was brought in to deliver a specialist scope of bespoke facade elements, including mirror-finish soffits and curved cladding components.
Alongside the visual and technical demands of the package, LockMetal also had to ensure the cladding system, balcony interfaces, and associated detailing met NHBC requirements, the project specification, and the agreed budget.
The solution
LockMetal focused on control, coordination, and buildability to deliver a specialist package that integrated with the primary facade system.
• We developed tailored handling and protection protocols for the mirror-finish aluminium panels, reducing the risk of surface damage during fabrication, transport, and installation.
• Our team carried out precise setting out and substrate checks to help eliminate visual distortion of the reflective panels and protect the quality of the final appearance.
• Carefully controlled fixing strategies were developed to prevent panel deformation or stress caused by over-tightening.
• For the nursery building, we coordinated the curved facade elements with adjacent fenestration systems, working to tight tolerances to maintain consistent joint lines and a clean architectural finish.
• Worked collaboratively across our in-house design team, adjacent trades, and the NHBC over an extended period to review, refine, and evidence compliance of all critical detailing, ensuring the cladding system met warranty requirements, the specification, and budget expectations without compromising the architectural intent.
The challenge
The Kew Bridge Rise project combined a complex multi-block, high-rise facade environment with highly sensitive materials and detailed interface requirements.
• The use of mirror-finish materials introduced a much higher level of sensitivity during both fabrication and installation, with surfaces highly susceptible to scratching, distortion, and visible defects.
• Uneven substrates had the potential to affect the visual quality and reflection of the mirror-finish panels, meaning detailing, setting out, and substrate preparation had to be carefully controlled.
• Fixing tolerances was critical: over-tightening could lead to deformation or oil-canning, compromising the intended appearance of the finished facade.
• The nursery building presented a particularly complex facade condition, with curved cladding geometries, close interaction with fenestration elements, and tight tolerances between windows, doors, and cladding systems.
• Extensive engagement with the NHBC was needed to ensure the facade and balcony detailing met warranty requirements, without compromising the architectural intent.
Other projects
“It hasn’t been an easy job at Kew Bridge Rise for LockMetal in one way or another, with difficult design, unforgiving materials and staggered sequence of works, but overall the end result is there for all to see.”
Mark Hawkey - Senior Site Manager
Results
LockMetal delivered a specialist facade package that sat outside the standard subcontract scope, helping Hill Group and L&Q resolve complex detailing requirements.
With extensive experience working alongside tier 1 contractors like Hill, we bring a practical, solution-focused approach, translating design intent into buildable details while maintaining programme and cost certainty.
Through sustained engagement with stakeholders, warranty providers, and adjacent trades, we helped evidence compliance, reduce risk, and deliver a cladding package that satisfied NHBC requirements, aligned with the project specification, and remained commercially buildable for the client.
The Kew Bridge Rise project is another strong example of LockMetal’s ability to step into a specialist, problem-solving role on complex schemes – delivering bespoke detailing, careful interface management, and cladding packages that are beautiful, buildable, and safe.
Specialist mirror-finish and interface detailing on a major residential regeneration scheme.
Client
London & Quadrant
Housing Trust
Location
Brentford, London
Package size
£950k