Marlborough Primary School

The architect’s design addressed the requirement for natural light within the dense urban landscape by incorporating lightwells and large porthole windows. Each brick slip bullseye required a single course of glazed green brick to surround the opening, creating a distinct and colourful feature.

The use of glazed brick helps to increase the reflection of light into the building, further contributing towards the light intake of each porthole opening. Lesterose required three bespoke bullseyes with an internal diameter of 2915mm and two smaller variants of 910mm. Lesterose also required IG’s Brick on Soffit System (B.O.S.S) to achieve long spans of complex brick soffits throughout each floor of the development.

Two variations of the brick feature bullseye lintels were required on-site.

The smaller bullseyes were delivered to site as one-piece prefabricated solutions. However, for logistical purposes the larger bullseye installations were delivered in two components and bolted together on-site.

Using brick from site, IG bonded pistol slips to the structural steel backing lintels, ensuring colour and texture remained consistent with brickwork onsite. Each of the larger bullseye arches required 102 pistol bricks. These pistol slips were made to accommodate a 10mm chamfered edge around the full circumference of the bullseye feature, providing an drip detail to ensure durability of the brickwork.

The finished glazed brick elements enhance the facade achieving dramatic contrast, defining the form of each bullseye opening. In addition, B.O.S.S units were also installed allowing the contractor to achieve continuous brick soffits, with very complex bond patterns.