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• Client: West City Wates
• Architect: KSR Architects
• Contractor: Wates
• Stones Used: Anstrude, Jura, Buffon and Crema Marfil limestones
• Value: £4.5m
• Completed: December 2006
• Contract Duration: 18 months
• Project Type: Internal and external new build
• Scope of Work: External stonework, internal stonework, external paving and landscaping

Phillimore Square is a landmark residential development on Campden Hill, Kensington, adjacent to Holland Park. The scheme, which is build on land that was originally part of King’s College, comprises eight contemporary townhouses and 35 apartments set around a picturesque central communal garden.

Despite intense competition from some of the industry’s best known stone companies, main contractor Wates entrusted Putney & Wood with the stone package for this prestigious, high-specification development. The contract included the design, procurement and installation of Anstrude and Buffon limestones from France, along with Jura beige and Crème Marfil limestones from Germany and Spain respectively.

Following a suggestion from Putney & Wood’s in-house design team, Jura beige limestone with a sandblasted finish was used as the plinth course due to its superior performance in this application. Anstrude limestone was used above plinth level to form large expanses of rusticated ashlar stone cladding. Among the many challenges for a project of this size and complexity was the interface between different trades. Putney & Wood formed an effective on-site partnership with the brickwork contractor to ensure a seamless interface between the two trades.

Throughout the project, the technical detailing required Putney & Wood’s skill and ingenuity to provide solutions for complicated design challenges. An example can be seen at the entrance of each of the townhouses, where the Anstrude balustrade coping required individual units to be curved both on elevation and on plan to accommodate the ramp and twist design of the retaining wall. Elsewhere, adjacent to the entrance to the development, the stone cladding needed to accommodate a three-centred-ellipse to create the desired curvature for the façade. Putney & Wood’s project team not only designed effective solutions for these complex detailing challenges, they also visited the French quarry and factory on six separate occasions to ensure the manufacture achieved the quality standard required for the job.

Internally, Buffon and Crème Marfil limestones were used throughout the development for staircases and floors. Unlike most residential developments, every staircase was unique, so Putney & Wood’s in-house designers templated every tread and riser separately to create a bespoke staircase for each townhouse. Buffon limestone was also selected for the bath surrounds. Due to the fragility of these units, there was a high risk of damage during transport. Putney & Wood’s solution to this problem was to ship the bath surrounds to their factory in Grays, Essex, as sawn slab rather than finished units. The bath surrounds were subsequently manufactured in Putney & Wood’s factory to the precise dimensions required, then carefully transported to site on Putney & Wood’s own transport.

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