Marley has supplied fibre cement Cedral Weatherboard and Rivendale slates for First-Step’s Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 Concept House on Aldersley Road, Wolverhampton.

The aim of the project is simple: to create a three bedroom family home that people want to, and can afford to live in, while reducing their carbon footprint.

Concept House is based on the BASF House at Nottingham University and will provide First Steps with a series of principles for achieving Code 4 and beyond within an affordable cost model.

Marley’s Cedral Weatherboard in Dark Oak was specified by TWA Architects. The architects approached Marley because they knew fibre cement provided significant low maintenance benefits compared to timber as well as achieving the same BRE (Building Research Establishment) A+ rating for environmental performance.

The fibre cement Cedral Weatherboard was therefore used as a low maintenance alternative to timber weatherboard to the rear of the property, whilst the fibre cement Rivendale slates in Blue/Black were used on the asymmetric roof incorporating a roof terrace.

Concept House is designed using ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) and will exceed the thermal requirements of Part L of building regulations by at least 35%. The Cedral Weatherboard, which was installed in a shiplap configuration, was nailed to timber battens incorporating a rear ventilated cavity to provide the building with enhanced weather performance benefits. The battens were screwed directly into the ICF and the walls achieve a U-value better than 0.2 W/m²K.

Significant cost savings were achieved during construction by the extensive use of dry fix, which were estimated to reduce overall project completion times. Both Cedral Weatherboard and Rivendale slates were installed using this system, with additional time savings achieved because they require no finishing on site.

Being made from fibre cement means that Cedral Weatherboard won’t warp or shrink over time or need constant re-painting. The subtly textured surface on Cedral Weatherboard gives the visual appearance of timber and has an installed life expectancy of at least 50 years.

“We were looking to establish a series of principles with the Code 4 concept house for our client First Step, covering overall appearance, sustainability and thermal performance,” explained Trevor Williams, a director at TWA. “We approached Marley because we knew that the company’s fibre cement solution met all these criteria.”

He added: “We liked the fact that both Marley fibre cement ranges were dry fix solutions and therefore aligned well with our requirement to reduce overall build times.”

Cedral Weatherboard is offered in 23 factory applied colours and four woodstain finishes, along with a range of matching coloured aluminium trims. The boards can be cut, nailed or screwed just like timber, providing an easy to install, practical facade solution.

The Rivendale slates provide a machine-made and consistently-sized product which reduces installation time, as, unlike natural slate no sorting or grading is required on-site. These lightweight yet incredibly strong slates can also be installed at pitches as low as 20 degrees, providing contractors and specifiers with additional flexibility in terms of design and installation.

Both Cedral Weatherboard and Rivendale slates can achieve an A+ rating in the BRE (Building Research Establishment) Green Guide to Specification based on generic rating: Cedral Weatherboard - autoclaved fibre cement (calcium silicate) cladding - (Element Ref: 806220701, 806220675, 806220676). Rivendale slates - based on generic rating for UK produced fibre cement slates - (Element Ref: 812410008).