Brownsfield Mill Refurbishment, Manchester
Brownsfield Mill, an 1825 room-and-power mill, was being converted by Urban Splash into wide dual-aspect apartments while retaining original timber, cast iron and brickwork. ECO screed was laid at 42 mm over a Lewis Deck on an acoustic layer across roughly 6,000 m². The thin, lightweight build-up preserved ceiling heights while delivering acoustic performance.
The challenge
Key elements to be considered were height and weight.
The challenge was to provide a strong thin screed to level up very uneven floors over 6 storeys.
Brownsfield Mill, Manchester, is an early nineteenth century room and power mill constructed in 1825. Urban Splash were the developers; original features, including timber, cast iron columns, and brickwork, were to be retained throughout.
The apartments are being deliberately wide to offer dual appearance, with views of both the Rochdale canal and Manchester city centre from a number of the flats.
The solution
Using battens to relevel the old wooden floor, the Lewis Deck was then laid on a separate acoustic layer. Each 1,000 m² floor was pumped in a day to a thickness of only 42 mm. This thin floor system gave an overall additional weight of circa 85 kg/m², which was crucial to the build-up and floor ceiling height requirements.
This floor system allowed the project to reduce the weight of the floor, keep the ceiling heights while achieving a strong acoustic, solid floor to these new apartments.
