Marley’s fibre cement Cedral Weatherboard has been used to create a ‘ribbon of colour’ around the new £2.1m Simpson Birthing Centre at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Cedral Weatherboard in White, Lilac Blue, Lavender Blue, Blue Grey and Dark Grey was specified by architects Keppie Design Ltd to clad the new modular birthing centre, which has the capacity to treat 1500 expectant mothers per year.

NHS Lothian’s design brief required the centre to create a ‘homely’ environment to help expectant mothers feel more relaxed and at ease within the acute hospital complex.

The subtly textured surface on Cedral Weatherboard gives the visual appearance of timber without the maintenance issues, and was therefore able to meet this requirement, providing a welcome contrast to steel cladding used on the main hospital building.

Helen Wood, Associate at Keppie Design Ltd, explains: “Cedral Weatherboard’s range of colours helped us create a subtly graduated design that wraps the modular building in a ‘ribbon of colour’, giving it a warm, welcoming exterior. This helps give the building a richness when viewed at detail level and a more subtle graduation of colours when viewed in its entirety.”

She adds: “In addition to its aesthetic qualities, Cedral Weatherboard fulfilled all of our technical requirements because the non-combustible nature of fibre cement satisfies building regulations in relation to boundary proximity. We also felt Cedral Weatherboard provided a cost effective and long-term, low maintenance solution.”

Cedral Weatherboard has fire classifications A2-s1-d0 non combustible and EN 13501-1, which was a key requirement on this project due to the birthing centre being an extension to the main hospital building.

NHS Lothian specified an off-site construction system for the building in order to meet budget restrictions and the 28 week build schedule. The Cedral Weatherboard was installed on site where it assisted in achieving the project deadline because it is a dry fix solution that aligns well with the requirements of Modern Methods of Construction.

The contract was awarded by Consort Healthcare, working for NHS Lothian, as part of a multi-million pound investment in maternity care. Premier Interlink WACO was the main contractor and the Cedral Weatherboard was installed by AJ Cladding.

A standard batten detail and breather membrane was anchored directly to the modular building. The Cedral Weatherboard was then screwed to the battens in an overlapping vertical configuration using staggered joints, providing the building with all the performance benefits of a rear-ventilated cavity. The walls achieved a U-value of 0.3 w/m2K.

Marley Cedral Weatherboard contributed to the sustainability of the building because it achieves 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).

Fibre cement Cedral Weatherboard has an installed life expectancy of at least 50 years and won’t warp or shrink over time, or need ongoing maintenance like that of painted surfaces. It is offered in 22 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.