Behind the Build: St Andrew's Drive Phase 2 & 3 with Andy Dickson

From material selection through to delivery, successful projects rely on close coordination between suppliers, manufacturers and the wider project team. For St Andrew’s Drive Phase 2 & 3, Andy Dickson, Regional Sales Director at Taylor Maxwell, played a key role in supporting the project and ensuring the brick requirements were met throughout its delivery. We spoke to Andy about the project, the challenges involved and how Taylor Maxwell helped bring the development together.

Hello Andy, can you tell us a little about your role at Taylor Maxwell and your involvement with the St Andrew’s Drive Phase 2 & 3 project?

I’m the Regional Sales Director for the North and Scotland at Taylor Maxwell and have been with the business for nineteen years.

I had already worked with jmarchitects on a number of other projects, so St Andrew’s Drive came onto my radar as the next scheme moving towards material selection. We had also supplied the brick for Phase 1, so there was already a connection with the wider development and an understanding of what had gone before.

What made St Andrew’s Drive stand out to you as a project?

One of the interesting challenges was achieving the architectural intent while working within the budget requirements of a social housing development.

The brief for Phases 2 and 3 required us to find suitable lighter and grey brick options which would also complement the brick we had previously supplied for Phase 1. The selection process went through two iterations, with the final choices ultimately providing the required aesthetic at a lower cost than the two bricks originally selected.

There’s also a personal memory attached to the project for me. The initial material selection meeting was the first meeting we held in our showroom after the Covid restrictions were relaxed, so it marked something of a return to normality.

What role did brick play in the design of St Andrew’s Drive, and which materials did Taylor Maxwell supply?

For Phases 2 and 3, the two principal bricks selected were Vandersanden Lindebloem, which provides the lighter tone, and Forterra Granite Ash, which gives the contrasting darker grey.

The two bricks were used across different blocks, helping to break up the massing of the development and give definition to the individual buildings while maintaining continuity across the wider scheme and with Phase 1.

There is also significant scale to the project. Approximately 800,000 bricks were supplied across Phases 2 and 3, taking the total across all three phases to around 1.3 million bricks.

Taylor Maxwell supported the project from specification through to final supply. How did you add value throughout that process?

Our involvement covered the full journey from initial specification and material selection through to final supply over a period of around three to four years.

That meant supporting the different stages of brick selection, providing samples and technical information, working with the manufacturers, monitoring pricing and availability and helping coordinate the quantities and supply requirements as the project progressed.

On a project of this duration and scale, a large part of the value we provide is continuity. We remain involved from the early design conversations through the inevitable changes and developments in the programme, right through to getting the material onto site.

How did you work with the architect, contractor and wider project team to achieve the desired finish?

Our main relationships throughout the project were with jmarchitects and CCG Scotland.

Having already worked with JM on previous schemes meant there was an established relationship during the specification and selection process. As the project progressed, we worked closely with CCG to ensure the selected materials could be delivered commercially and practically while maintaining the original design intent.

That collaboration between architect, contractor, supplier and manufacturers is particularly important on a project that develops over several years.

Were there any challenges during the specification or supply process, and how were they overcome?

The main challenge came during the specification stage rather than during supply.

We needed to achieve the lighter and darker brick aesthetic that the design required, ensure the materials complemented Phase 1 and, importantly, achieve all of that within the budget parameters of a social housing project.

That resulted in two iterations of the brick selection. The final choices achieved the required appearance while actually coming in at a lower cost than the original selections. Once those budget and design requirements had been aligned, the subsequent supply process ran smoothly.

Looking at the completed development, what do you think works particularly well about the material choices?

I think the way the different brick tones have been used across the individual blocks works particularly well. The contrast helps break down the overall scale of the development and gives the different buildings their own identity, while the scheme still reads as a coherent whole.

The combination of the brickwork and precast detailing also helps the development sit comfortably within the established character of Pollokshields. It responds to its surroundings without trying to replicate them, which gives the new homes a distinct identity of their own.

St Andrew’s Drive has received recognition at the Brick Awards and is now shortlisted for the 2026 RIBA Neave Brown Award. What does that recognition mean to you, and what do you think made the project a success?

It’s always rewarding when a project you’ve been involved with over a number of years receives recognition from within the industry.

Projects like St Andrew’s Drive are ultimately the result of effective collaboration between everyone involved, from the architect and contractor through to the manufacturers and suppliers. When the finished development is then recognised by industry peers, it is a great reflection of that collective effort and the quality of what has been delivered.

From a Taylor Maxwell perspective, I’m proud that we were involved from the early specification stages right through to final supply and were able to play our part in delivering a development that has received that level of recognition.