Carbuncle Cup winner undergoes ’routine maintenance’ after damaged panels identified

The developer of PLP’s Carbuncle Cup-winning Nova Victoria has acted to quash social media speculation that pieces are falling off the building.

Photographs showing missing cladding cover plates and protective netting were circulated by Twitter users who suggested pieces might have fallen from the central London office scheme.

But developer Landsec issued a statement denying this and explaining it was carrying out routine maintenance to about 40 panels on the pair of buildings. It stressed this was a tiny proportion of the more than 50,000 cladding panels that cover the development.

 

The buildings, which won the Carbuncle Cup in 2016 with judges saying they “set a new benchmark for urban horror”, are still within their latent defects period.

 

LandSec said contractors were replacing panels that had been scratched or dented during construction and that it was purely for “aesthetic purposes”. 

The work has been slowed down because the building maintenance unit, which was being used for the work, broke down at the same time.

Landsec said a mechanical component had failed and a replacement needed to be ordered and installed before the operation could recommence. Once it is back in operation the work should take about six weeks, said a spokeswoman.

She added: “We are carrying out routine maintenance work to a small section of panels on the Nova North and South buildings. We are taking all necessary health and safety precautions while this work takes place.”

BD approached PLP and Mace who referred inquiries to the developer.

 

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