Our day at Clerkenwell!

We’ve had a super few days in London, partnering with our friends at Taylor Maxwell as we took over their Clerkenwell showroom for a full day of events during Clerkenwell Design Week.  In this article, our Strategic Specification Director Paul Ruding reports back on a productive day of technical discussion, collaboration and design insight. 

As the UK’s leading masonry façade solutions partner, ACS has been on quite the journey, evolving our services from sole manufacturer to a business that’s now a widely regardeddesign collaborator – supporting architects earlier in the RIBA design stages through CPDs, one‑to‑ones and events.

It means that events like Clerkenwell are up there on a priority lists these days; the annual event is a great place to connect with designers, architects and industry peers. 

So just how did we structure our day? 

Morning CPD: practical guidance for a changing regulatory landscape   

Armed with a table full of coffee, tea and pastries, we opened our event with a CPD session. Co‑presented with Siderise, the event focused on the post‑Grenfell regulatory environment and practical, evidence‑led specification, covering everything from the Building Safety Act, HRB scope and duty holder responsibilities to why masonry remains a strong choice for higher‑risk buildings. 

I spoke at the session and was pleased that it prompted robust questions from the audience – with a clear appetite for practical guidance to reconcile design ambition with regulatory requirements. 

Afternoon drop‑in: products, samples and conversation   

In the afternoon the showroom became a drop‑in hub, with designers and specifiers invited to examine our product suite up close – everything from masonry support systems to modular brick‑slip assemblies. It was great to meet more people and take some time out to explore a bit more of Clerkenwell ourselves. 

Evening showcase: Leven Road – the façade that shouldn’t have been possible   

Then come the evening, we were all back in the presentation area at Taylor Maxwell, where a new audience had gathered for a few beers and a special project showcase of Leven Road, a riverside Poplar scheme of three radiused residential buildings.  

The approach to this development has been unique, with our Engineering Director Matt Freeman kicking things off by sharing the story of how early supply‑chain collaboration unlocked a lightweight modular brick‑slip solution that met the architect’s intent while satisfying challenging ground, regulatory and programme constraints. David Gonzales from Taylor Wimpey also joined the panel to discuss the project from the developer’s perspective, alongside Sam Willis of BM3 – architects for the scheme. 

Also on the panel was Duncan Marley of Lee Marley Brickwork. Having carved his career out of traditional brickwork he was a convert to the brick slip system option and commented on the quality of our product – notably the QR codes on all our products that build accountability into our process. 

With the panel talk concluded, guests raised several practical questions around things like NHBC engagement, scheme viability and apartment sizes. There were also questions about the role of traditional brickwork versus slip systems too, with Matt taking the opportunity to outline ACS’s journey to service partner, and our role now in coming into the design process earlier – helping us identify the best solution and procurement route, and architects benefit from a wider choice.  

And with that, the day was closed.  

Clerkenwell is a great place, somewhere where technical rigour meets creative ambition, so I really am proud that we were able play host to some great people there. 

Thanks to everyone who joined us, to Taylor Maxwell for hosting, to Siderise for co‑presenting, to the Leven Road project team for sharing their experience, and to everyone who visited the showroom. 

If you missed the event and would like to see samples or discuss a project, please get in touch – we’d be pleased to continue the conversation.