Building Fabrics:Layout 1 11/09/2009 14:15 Page 33
building fabric
Switching to a pitched roof
M
OSSPITS Infant & Junior School in strength of the Decra tiles and the way in
Liverpool has undergone a flat to which they are fixed to the roof battens
pitched roof conversion. through the upturned and downturned
Lightweight steel tiles were installed edges, this was made possible.”
across the entire roof, without putting Weighing around one eighth of their
any undue pressure on the supporting traditional counterparts, the steel roof
structure underneath. Decra Roof tiles can be used in both low and high
Systems supplied 3,500 of its Stratos tile pitched roof situations from a minimum
which is produced with the aesthetics of pitch of 12° to a maximum pitch of 90°,
a slate roof. This feature makes it and are installed using a dry fix method.
suitable for use in new build, conversion Their durability and impact resistance
and refurbishment projects. means the system delivers a low
“The roof itself was subject to whole life cost as it is unlikely that
continuous acts of vandalism and individual tiles will need to be replaced
required a new product which would be at a later date.
able to withstand a sustained attack,”
Steel tile with the
explains contractor Terry Cavanagh of
www.decra.co.uk
aesthetics of a slate roof.
Mac Roofing & Construction. “Due to the
High visibility for children’s centre
T
HE RECENT extension to the New River extension to the front of the existing The centre’s community presence
Green Children’s Centre in Islington building line and the rear of the site was needed raising to ensure full access to
is helping it to achieve a fresh identity mature play garden with significant trees the services for all families and carers
and higher profile in the local community. that could not be removed. The only and above all, it needed to be inspirational
The existing centre was constructed in space to extend the building was over the to children, families, staff and all who
timber frame over a low and sprawling footprint of the family project area, which used it. It also needed to be durable,
single storey as a purpose-built nursery required partial demolition and rebuilding energy efficient and secure.
for 75 children. Part of it was converted with an additional storey. The north-west façade of the new,
seven years earlier to form a family The design also had to bear in mind 275 sqm, two-storey, timber-framed
project in a small suite of rooms on the that while the centre had been a much extension, which re-opened earlier this
street frontage, providing a flexible crèche more visible community building in the year, was designed by MeadowcroftGriffin
and drop-in events for 200 families on a past, multi-storey blocks of housing had Architects and is clad vertically with
weekly basis. It struggled to meet demand been built on the open land surrounding colourful rainscreen cladding panels
due to lack of space and a shared the site and its visibility had suffered as a from Steni. More than 200 sqm of Steni
entrance which led to conflicts of security. result, to the extent that is was Colour fibreglass reinforced polymer
Planning restrictions prevented any frequently reported to be hard to find. composite panels were specified in four
high-gloss colours.
The panels feature a smooth surface
of electron beam cured acrylic that is
produced without the use of solvents. For
the project, they were designed in a
water based theme using blues and
greens to reflect the nearby river and as
a playful statement announcing the new
building on the corner.
“The two key facades facing the
public realm use the Steni product and
the other two facing the mature garden
which connect to the existing building are
clad in timber,” says MeadowcroftGriffin
director Ann Griffin. “We felt a lot could
be achieved using well-targeted, specific
interventions – low-cost approaches to
effect maximum change. We also
sought to use materials with low
environmental impact.”
www.meadowcroftgriffin.co.uk
www.steni.com
edbmagazine.co.uk 33
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