Client: Goole Town Council
Specifier: Henley Halebrown Rorrison
Type of works: supply of fibre cement rainscreen cladding.

A dated market building in the East Yorkshire town of Goole has been transformed into a RIBA Award winning arts and civic centre using Marley’s fibre cement rainscreen cladding as an overclad solution.

Natura in Opal was specified by architects Henley Halebrown Rorrison for clients Goole Town Council to replace the existing steel cladding, which had deteriorated beyond repair, resulting in an unsightly looking building in the town centre.

Natura is a beautiful, smooth and solid cladding panel with a subtle tinted, semi-translucent coating allowing the texture of the fibre cement to show through providing an attractive yet tough rainscreen cladding solution, ideal for the redevelopment of the 1980’s building.

The Junction was originally built using a lightweight steel frame system, which had begun to corrode due to condensation on the inner face. Fibre cement Natura, which has no metallic content, overcame this issue because the material is breathable, allowing moisture to escape to the outside, reducing condensation and dampness within the wall structure.

“The Junction was a complex project because we required a lightweight overclad solution, which excluded many cladding and facade options,” said Steve Lyman, architect at Henley Halebrown Rorrison. “We are delighted with the results of specifying Natura as it remained well within maximum weight loadings, as well as meeting our visual, budgetary and sustainable requirements. The fact that fibre cement is a breathable material also eliminated the condensation issue we had with steel sheets.”

Marley fibre cement rainscreen cladding panels can achieve an A+ rating as defined in the BRE Green Guide to Specification based on generic rating for autoclaved fibre cement single sheet - (Element Ref: 80623042, 806230422, 806230447, 806230450).

Natura has an installed life expectancy of at least 50 years, which is considerably longer than the original steel cladding fitted on The Junction in the late 80s. It has class 0 fire performance and excellent weather resistance as well as being resistant to insects, mould growth and fungi.

The Natura panels were bonded to aluminium support brackets fixed to the exterior of the wall using structural adhesive.

Natura is available in a wide choice of colours and the practical qualities of the material include durability, strength and low maintenance.

The Junction was awarded 2010 RIBA White Rose 'Gold' Award for Architecture.