3 Assembly Square, Cardiff Bay Waterfront

Architect: Scott Brownrigg
Contractor: BAM Construct UK Ltd
Type of works: supply and installation of Marley Eternit's Natura Plus fibre-cement cladding.

Cardiff Bay Waterfront has been given a further boost by the unveiling of a £13m environmentally-friendly office development that showcases Marley Eternit’s Natura Plus fibre-cement cladding.

Known as 3 Assembly Square, the six-storey office building has been constructed by BAM Construct UK Ltd and is located next to the Welsh National Assembly, by the Roath Basin.

The building forms part of the Cardiff Waterside estate, comprising Grade A office space in a stunning location that offers excellent local amenities and easy accessibility. On site are a number of prestigious tenants including HBOS, Arup, Atradius and Regus, as well as the National Assembly, the UK Government’s Wales office and the European Commission.

3 Assembly Square has been rated as BREEAM ‘Excellent’, which is the highest rating possible and means that its energy consumption is 30% lower than Building Regulations’ requirements.

The Opal coloured Natura Plus panels were used to create a rear ventilated cladding system. Rear ventilated systems offer guaranteed performance, providing the building with enhanced heat, condensation, noise and fire protection.

A layer of Rockwool insulation fitted behind the panels improved thermal efficiency levels further, all of which played a key role in helping the building to meet the BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.

Barry Clarke, Project Manager for architect’s Scott Brownrigg, said: “This has been a major project for us and selecting the right materials was vital to ensure it met the highest sustainability criteria. Marley Eternit’s Natura Plus allowed us to create a rear ventilated cladding system for this building, which was part of our strategy to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.”

Natura Plus is a smooth and solid cladding panel with a pure, through coloured core and natural fibre-cement finish. The subtle textural quality of the panels creates an attractive and dynamic appearance, which provided 3 Assembly Square with a visually engaging and durable façade.

Andy Witnall, Project Manager at BAM Construct UK Ltd, said: “This has been a prestigious development to work on, and we are pleased with how Natura Plus complements the timber and glazed elements of the building to create a stunning new skyline to Cardiff Bay Waterfront.”

The panels were fitted using a structural adhesive system. This involved bonding the internal and external cladding panels to Marley Eternit’s Ventisol aluminium support framework.