London School of Fashion

BriggsAmasco applied its superior experience and skills to successful effect during a multiple roof project at the London School of Fashion’s stunning new campus.

The 36,000m2 campus is the first building to be completed at the Stratford Waterfront development, the UK’s newest cultural quarter for innovation, creativity and learning known as the East Bank, which is situated at the heart of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, east London.

Started in 2022 and part of the University of the Arts London (UAL), the London College of Fashion’s new HQ is a 26-mile move away from its previous premises in Lime Grove, London. The relocation brings together UAL’s six learning sites under one roof. It means for the first time in 100 years, students in fashion, photography, journalism, hairdressing, footwear, jewellery and clothes occupy the same site.

The 3,500-person capacity campus, designed by architects Allies and Morrison, is described as a 21st factory of ideas and forms part of the Mayor of London’s £1.1 billion arts, innovation, and education legacy project. The building’s brick, steel, concrete and wood design is a homage to London and fashion, making it an enterprising addition to the East Bank and its cultivation as a thriving community asset to a formerly long-overlooked area of east London.

Installation programme

BriggsAmasco was selected to install an inverted hot melt IKO Permatec waterproof roof system across a 3,000m2 main building at the UAL campus site. The same build-up was required for several terrace areas, with a series of green and brown roofs also part of the team’s remit.

The fully-bonded hot melt IKO Permatec system comprised a self-sealing membrane, IKO Enertherm insulation, and an IKO water control layer. This provided a watertight, thermally efficient base for a range of finishes including paving slabs, stone ballast, and green and brown roofs.

With time of the essence and a large roofing area to waterproof, BriggsAmasco employed its electric eco-friendly hot-melt machines to ensure the process was carried out efficiently in accordance with the tight works schedule. The machines negated the need for propane gas, resulting in a waterproof programme that was completed safely and enhanced the project’s sustainability due to its low-energy functionality.

The UAL’s location on the fringes of central London provided BriggsAmasco with its greatest challenge. Site space was limited, hence there was limited storage space for roofing materials. This, along with the simultaneous presence of other trades, required Briggs’ project management teams to liaise closely with the main contractor, Mace, to renegotiate the works programme and ensure teams had roof access at appropriate times. Installer-contractor engagement was also crucial to structuring delivery times, ensuring vehicles had access to deposit materials safely within designated storage areas.

BriggsAmasco’s industrywide reputation as a premier commercial roofing contractor has led to the company’s selection for two additional high-profile projects on Stratford’s East Bank. Implementing the same system as per the UAL building, BriggsAmasco operatives are currently providing a safe, effective waterproof finish to roofs at the new BBC Music Studios, and the V&A East Storehouse and Museum. An accompaniment to the established and world-famous V&A museum in Kensington, the new building is slated as a ‘champion of creativity for the 21st century’, with a founding ambition to make the arts ‘accessible to all’.

BriggsAmasco is proud to have been selected to play a key role in the development of three buildings that will be integral to hallmarking the East Bank’s standing as London’s newest and truly world-class arts and education district.