Bear Wharf, Reading

Bear Wharf is a prestigious four to eight-storey development of flats and penthouse apartments adjacent to the River Kennet and close to the Oracle Shopping Centre in Reading. Developed from drawings and illustrations from an award winning planning architect, the project consisted of marrying a modern reinforced concrete frame and flat slab construction together with more traditional cladding details comprising gable stones, brickwork arches and external steel feature columns. Undercroft car parking was also required, with transfer slabs needed to maximise column spacing for car parking bays.

Due to the presence of the founding chalk acting as a natural aquifer for the ground water, the site was environmentally sensitive and specialists were employed to monitor for the presence of contaminants in the ground water whilst piling works and foundations were being undertaken. As an additional requirement for planning consent, the existing river wall had to be reinstated to provide an accessible towpath walkway for pedestrians. Sand Martin nesting holes also had to be provided in the sides of the river wall to encourage the natural wildlife to return to the river.