Blyko UK supplies tiles for the Palace of Westminster in London
10 November 2022The Palace of Westminster, also known as the House of Parliament, is located on the banks of the Thames in the Westminster district of London. Originally a royal palace in the 11th century, it is today better known as the London Parliament. The building, dating back to 1870, has been in a state of disrepair for many years, prompting the start of a major restoration and renewal project in 2020. Before beginning the internal renovation, the building must be made waterproof. This includes replacing the tiles and curbstones of all flat roofs. Blyko UK has been chosen as the supplier to replace the 70-year-old tiles and curbstones on the elevated terraces with (almost) identical replacements.
Due to the building's historical nature, Blyko UK was approached in June 2021 by the main contractor, architectural firms, and city services to reproduce tiles matching the original ones. Samples of the palace's tiles were brought to the Netherlands, where they were initially cleaned. Based on the cleaned tile, samples were produced. To recreate the original rough appearance, the top layer included materials such as river sand 0-2 and sea gravel 2-8, and the tiles were sandblasted twice. After the samples were approved, the client and the main contractor visited Bleijko's factory in Walsoorden to inspect the approved tiles.
The roofs also feature a custom-made curb, 400 mm long and 250 mm high, shaped like a boot, made from the same materials as the tiles. Bleijko produced custom molds to make samples for this as well, which were also satisfactory. Thus, Blyko UK is supplying both the tiles and the curbstones for the project. Given the importance of security at the Palace of Westminster, all deliveries are transported in vehicles equipped with tracking devices. Each vehicle can be tracked on its route to Parliament.
The first phase of this magnificent project has already started, and the first 1,400 m2 of tiles (40x40x4) and 700 lm of curbstones have been delivered.