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This page features updates and documentation of progress during the Embassy Court Refurbishment Project. October 2004 Embassy Court is now hidden from view by scaffolding and the building exterior is being grit blasted. The Technical Committee has been meeting with Bluestorm and Project Manager Philip Fothergill on a regular basis to consider the restoration of the building. Some of the items under discussion include the following: The reinstatement of the roof balcony. This area is to be paved and the railings which were removed in the `40s reinstated in stainless steel. At some point in the future this area will be made available to residents so they may sunbathe or enjoy the views. The buildings which currently contain the water tanks but which will become redundant were inspected in August and are in good condition. They could be adapted to a future use but there are no proposals at present. Front doors. These were once in bronze and it is felt they are such an important aspect of this Listed building that they should be recreated in their original form. This will be expensive. They will probably be made in antiqued brass but should make a real statement. Entry to the block will be by using proximity cards. These cards are waved in front of a sensor to open the door and can be de-programmed once a tenant has left. To make sure they are returned a hefty deposit will be required upon issue. Inside the entrance a new terrazzo floor is to be laid. We have been working on a design for barriers to give privacy between flats on the private balconies. The accepted design will be in toughened or laminated obscure glass, held within a stainless steel frame. Residents will be pleased to know that the coloured tiles which form the edge of balconies are being replaced where they are damaged, and inserted where they have been removed. Current plans for central heating boilers is to site them within the redundant lift shaft. This presents a problem for all flats numbered `7` because of their distance from the lift shaft. We are investigating ways to prevent the water losing heat on the way to and from the boiler. The
front railings at pavement level need to be painted but no one liked
the original terra cotta colour. Currently we are looking at a grey
green alternative. We have to pick colours which English Heritage
will approve.
June 2004 Just a few weeks before scaffolding encloses Embassy Court, important decisions are being made with regard to the final exterior finish of the Embassy Court. The colour scheme chosen for the walls, windows, railings and lettering will accurately recreate the palette originally used in the 1930s, when Embassy Court was built. The exterior will be painted cream and the window frames will be a very pale yellow while the railings, balustrade and lettering will all be painted a shade of terra-cotta. Specific colour choices have been made after careful laboratory analysis of paint layers coupled by a detailed study of written descriptions of the building from the 1930s. In order to get the texture of the exterior walls just right, various test patches of render have gone up on walls at the back of the building. As I spoke to Philip Fothergill, the Project Manager of the Refurbishment Project, several residents stopped to offer him feedback and suggestions, frequently referring to the test patches at hand.
A 'Pilot Scheme' is being used to test methods out before beginning the refurbishment of the whole building. Directly to the right of the main entrance (at street level), a section of the building's exterior has been refinished in an effort to test methods, critique results and find the best way forward for the rest of the building. As seen in the photos below, the existing rusty, corroded window frames have been replaced with new, galvanised steel ones with double-glazed windows. Unlike the old frames, the new ones feature a sill which projects out over the render and will help to protect the walls from water seepage. The new window frames will also be treated to protect them from rust and corrosion in the future and have been designed to allow occupants to clean them from inside. Their dimensions and proportions will follow the lines of the original windows used in the 1930s.
Although the existing ground level balustrade within the pilot scheme will be painted terra-cotta in order to create a finished chromatic effect for all to observe, these will later be replaced with specially treated stainless steel ones, which won't rust or damage the pavement below (as the present ones have done). All of the materials have been chosen with a view to maximum durability and resistance to corrosion over time, given the fact that the building is constantly exposed to unusually harsh elements, specific to its seafront location. In July 2004, the scaffolding will go up; a process which is expected to take a full three weeks. Once the scaffolding is up and clad, the walls will be rip-blasted, the concrete structure repaired, the windows replaced, the render applied and the exterior painted. The whole refurbishment is expected to take about a year.
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