Places · West Midlands · Coventry
Façade & building consultants in Coventry.
Rebuilt after the Blitz as one of Britain's first planned modern city centres, Coventry is now replacing its post-war shopping streets with new homes. McKay Turner Consulting provides façade condition surveys, defect and water ingress investigations, external wall fire risk appraisals, design reviews and expert witness work across Coventry.
COVENTRY 52.41° N, 1.51° W
A short history
A medieval city rebuilt as a modern one
Coventry was one of England's great medieval cities, then the home of bicycles and cars. After the Blitz it was rebuilt to a bold modern plan.
- 1043
Priory
Leofric and Godiva found a Benedictine priory.
- 1300s–1500s
Cloth city
Wool and cloth make Coventry one of England's richest cities.
- 1890s
Bicycles and cars
Coventry becomes the centre of the British cycle and motor industries.
- 1940
The Blitz
On 14 November, bombing destroys the medieval centre and St Michael's Cathedral.
- 1948
The Precinct
Building starts on one of Britain's first pedestrian shopping precincts.
- 1962
New cathedral
Basil Spence's cathedral is consecrated beside the ruins of the old.
- 2021
City of Culture
Coventry is the UK City of Culture.
- 2026
City Centre South
The first tower rises in a new neighbourhood replacing post-war shops.
Architecture
What makes Coventry's buildings distinctive
Medieval timber and red sandstone survive beside the brick, concrete and mosaic of the post-war rebuild. New homes are returning to brick.
Key styles
Medieval
Timber-framed buildings, many moved to Spon Street, and red sandstone churches.
Industrial
Brick car and cycle factories, many now converted.
Post-war precinct
Brick and Portland stone shops with balconies, tiles and mosaics.
Cathedral
Basil Spence's cathedral in pink-grey sandstone with tall glass screens.
Ring road era
Concrete towers, car parks and the ring road.
Contemporary
Student towers and new brick housing.
Coventry's material palette
Did you know?
The spires of St Michael's, Holy Trinity and Christ Church still dominate the skyline.
Many of the timber-framed houses on Spon Street were moved there from elsewhere in the city.
The ruined medieval cathedral and Spence's 1962 building stand together.
Typical building types
What Coventry is built of today
Coventry is a young, growing city with two universities, a large post-war centre and new homes replacing old shops.
Student towers
Purpose-built blocks for two universities.
Where: City centre, Far Gosford Street
Post-war shops & offices
The Precinct and surrounding blocks.
Where: Upper and Lower Precinct, Broadgate
Post-war towers
Council and private residential towers.
Where: Hillfields, Spon End, city centre
New homes
City-centre and brownfield housing.
Where: City Centre South, Canal Basin
Victorian & Edwardian terraces
Brick terraces near the old factories.
Where: Earlsdon, Foleshill, Chapelfields
Industrial & research
Car plants, research centres and warehouses.
Where: Whitley, Ansty, Ryton
Education & healthcare
University and hospital buildings.
Where: Coventry University, Warwick, University Hospital
Heritage
Medieval and post-war listed buildings.
Where: Spon Street, Cathedral Quarter
Current construction trends
Where Coventry is building now
City Centre South is the biggest change to Coventry's centre since the post-war rebuild.
City Centre South
Hill Group and Shearer Property are replacing post-war shops with up to 1,575 homes, shops and public space.
First tower
The first building of phase 1 holds 200 affordable homes, for social rent and shared ownership.
Homes in phase 1
Phase 1 also includes 8,000m² of commercial space and 17,000m² of public space.
Storeys, in brick
Allies and Morrison's blocks of 5 to 19 storeys use brick in seven tones.
Higher-risk buildings
Residential buildings of 18m or seven storeys and above, with at least two homes, must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator and have a safety case that covers their external walls.
Cladding Safety Scheme
Government funding for unsafe cladding on residential buildings over 11m in England. Every application starts with a PAS 9980 fire risk appraisal of the external walls.
How we help in Coventry
Every era of building has its own risks
We match our inspections and advice to the age and construction of your building.
Medieval and Victorianto c.1914
Decayed timber, eroded sandstone, failed pointing and leaking roofs.
Post-war centrec.1948–1970
Spalling concrete, loose tiles and stone, and failed balconies and canopies.
1960s–70s towersc.1960–1980
Spalling concrete, failed panel joints and later over-cladding.
Student towers and apartmentsc.2000–today
Combustible cladding or insulation, missing cavity barriers and leaking junctions.
New buildtoday
Design and specification gaps, and brickwork and window workmanship.
Travelodge Birmingham Maypole: a façade condition assessment followed by a PAS 9980 fire risk appraisal, giving a hotel owner one joined-up picture of the envelope.
Read the Travelodge case study →FAQs
Façade services in Coventry
Do you work in Coventry?
Yes. We work across the UK from our base in the North West, including in Coventry. A Director-level consultant leads every instruction from the first conversation to the final report.
Can you assess the external walls of residential buildings in Coventry?
Yes. Our intrusive investigations confirm how the cladding, insulation and cavity barriers are actually built. We then assess the fire risk using PAS 9980, which is also the starting point for Cladding Safety Scheme applications.
Can you survey post-war concrete and tiled façades?
Yes. We inspect concrete, tiles, mosaics and stone cladding close up, find loose or failing elements, and set out safe, prioritised repairs.
Which other services do you offer in Coventry?
Façade condition surveys, defect and leak investigations, thermographic surveys, technical due diligence, façade design reviews and expert witness work in façade disputes.
Work with us
Own or manage a building in Coventry?
We provide façade condition surveys, defect and water ingress investigations, external wall fire risk appraisals, design reviews and expert witness work in Coventry and across the West Midlands.
Photographs: Oscar Mucyo and Shubham Vispute on Unsplash.