Cast aluminium is used for a number of applications. Cookware, garden furniture, automotive components and rainwater gutters are some of the items on which it is commonly to be found. But it has rarely, if ever, been used as a cladding material on a building – until now.

The Compton is a new, 10-storey block of flats in London’s affluent St John’s Wood, located close to Lord’s Cricket Ground and Regent’s Park. The development was designed by London-based Simon Bowden Architecture and contains 49 luxury boutique flats, along with private roof terraces and a state-of-the-art gym, with a starting price to buyers of £1.1m per flat.

There is nothing unusual about the price point or development brief, at least not for this part of London. What is highly uncommon is the cladding system applied to the building facade.

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