1. The project: Hiscox in York

Hiscox in York (northern England) houses 500 employees and is the largest Hiscox office outside London. It is the office building of a large insurance company. A better, brighter office space in a forgotten part of the medieval heart of York – which posed a challenge for the architect. The Hungate was once a wool market, a place where people gathered together. The design enhances the feeling of openness and makes optimal use of natural light over four spacious storeys. The facade of the building consists of curved glass and a woven masonry pattern, inspired by the 19^th century market.

2. Byldis contribution to this project

Byldis contribution: Masonry elements / facade cladding elements with woven structure.

3. Why was Byldis chosen?

BAM Construction LTD was looking for suppliers of a specific kind of stone to use in the brickwork of the Hiscox building. Byldis was able to realise and supply exactly what was needed by working together with a supplier from Germany. The bricks for Hiscox are custom-made. These bricks were made-to-measure in order to fit into the building. Another reason why Byldis was able to realise this beautiful building was its added value of delivering precast construction.

4. Challenges & solutions

‘Woven’ elements
A challenge at Hiscox was the difficulty of the elements. The design of the building meant that it should look like a woven basket. This required rounded and woven elements. It seems as if the elements are ‘woven’ together; as if the masonry runs beneath it. These were also long elements, measuring no less than 6-metres long. Byldis was able to produce these elements by developing special moulds in which the ‘weave’ technique can be seen. As this structure is reflected in the mould, the height differences of the bricks could be taken into account.

5. Facts & figures

6. Footage

7. More information about Hiscox York

In the news

• "Hiscox office building by Make Architects features a grand staircase and a Soviet rocket." 19-02-2016. Source: Dezeen

More information

• https://www.hiscox.co.uk/