Architect: Scott Brownrigg
Type of works: supply and installation of Marley's Natura fibre-cement cladding panels.

The £26 million Elmgreen School in Tulse Hill, London, has awarded top marks to cladding from Marley’s Natura range. The fibre-cement panels helped meet London Borough of Lambeth’s requirement for the school to have a natural and pleasing appearance, as well as contributing to it gaining a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating.

After considering using sandstone tiles, Scott Brownrigg, the architect, specified cladding from the Natura range in Amber and Azurite. This created the visual appearance that the designer was looking for as well as being a more cost-effective and practical solution. The Amber and Azurite coloured panels, which were used on two of the three new buildings, helped them blend in harmoniously with the schools parkland setting. The third new building used Coral coloured panels also from the Natura range that acted as a subtle contrast to the first two buildings.

The cladding from Marley was selected because it had a beautiful, smooth and solid surface with a pure, through-coloured core. The fibre-cement panels require minimal maintenance, have a Class ‘0’ fire performance and are resistant to insects, mould growth and fungi, which helps to give it a life expectancy of at least 50 years.

Valerie Cooper, Project Architect at Scott Brownrigg, said: “Specifying cladding from the Natura range was ideal as it met the client’s visual and performance requirements and did so in a way that allowed for the rapid construction of a decorative rainscreen facade. The subtle contrast in colours highlights the impact that aesthetics can have on a building, which has given this school a unique identity.”

The panels were fitted in a horizontal orientation between each floor and designed to fit flush with the adjacent curtain walling systems. The panels were fitted onto a metal support system using a combination of secret and visible fixing methods.

Marley has a full range of fibre-cement cladding solutions that have been used for educational, residential and commercial projects.