Supermarket giant Lidl, one of the largest grocery retailers in Europe with over 600 stores in the UK, recently demolished its store in Grantham, Lincs to build a brand new unit featuring its newest concept, a ‘backnische’ or in store bakery.
The new 15,000 sq. ft. unit, located on Watergate, was built using a clay block system. This is the standard design adopted by Lidl for their new builds’ – chosen for its environmental and economic benefits.
Normally this the type of construction means that the clay blocks have to be rendered. However, the new Grantham development, despite being built on an existing site, faced a number of planning challenges, one of which was the visual impact on surrounding buildings.
Planners requested that the exterior should mimic the style of the adjacent shop fronts which meant including red brick columns and dummy glazing. However, using traditional building materials to fulfill the planning requirements would have added increased costs and extra time to the already delayed scheme.
The answer was to adopt our Epsi-Clad system. Epsi-Clad is an insulating profiled carrier, designed for brick, block and stone that is permanently bonded to the substrate by adhesive and mechanical fixings. It is also uniquely designed to eliminate the need for time consuming preparatory work and reduces the need for skilled labour.
Another major advantage to the construction process is the versatility of the product. It accommodates all brick and stone sizes and is quick and easy to install. For the Lidl Grantham project, the client attached their own facing slips but it can be supplied with a wide variety of brick slips, glazed slips and special effect finishes to extend the range of colours and textures available.
The planning notice also required that the building include architectural designs shared by neighbouring frontages. Once again, to retain costs and speed up the construction process, the company chose our Stone-Coat system, a lightweight moulding that, unlike traditional materials, can be manufactured in almost any shape and profile.
This proved ideal for the Lidl project as it meant all the ‘aesthetic’ arches, cills and coping features could be manufactured off site and installed without using lifting equipment.
Not only can Stone-Coat be finished in a variety of finishes including natural stone, render, and RAL or BS colours but can also be retro-fitted proving ideal for remedial work or enhancements.
At Build Lite, we specialise in Architectural Solutions, including products like Stone-Coat and Epsi-Clad. We offer unmatched knowledge and skill in architectural transformations across the UK. To find out more about our products, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us
