Client: Haven House
Architect: Blake Hopkinson
Type of works: supply of Pictura fibre cement rainscreen cladding

A dated 1960s block of bedsits in Consett, County Durham, has been transformed into a Constructing Excellence award winner with help from Marley’s Pictura fibre cement rainscreen cladding.

Pictura from Marley in three shades of grey was specified by architects Blake Hopkinson as part of an environmentally sustainable modern redesign for Haven House.

Pictura has a beautiful, hard, smooth, silky matt surface with a UV cured top layer that offers good protection against many types of staining including graffiti produced by common aerosol and mechanical damage during construction.

Architect Darren Blake explains: “We specified Pictura for a ribbon overclad system around the roof eaves, along with several infill panels, because the smooth, matt finish and choice of colours fitted with the contemporary ethos we were looking to create. The aim was to turn a building which had lost its identity into a local landmark, and the response from tenants has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Pictura in Grey was used to replace existing UPVC cladding around windows at ground level to add interest to feature walls. This helped to break up the uniformity of the original brickwork facade, which the residents had raised as an issue with the existing building.

Varying widths of 800mm high Pictura panels in the three shades of grey were then fixed as a ribbon overclad system around roof eaves to add visual interest and counteract the building’s lack of height by drawing the eye upwards.

Marley fibre cement 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.

Pictura is available in a range of colours and has an installed life expectancy of at least 50 years. It has excellent weather resistance as well as being resistant to insects, mould growth and fungi.

The Pictura panels at Haven House were fixed to a lightweight timber frame using a structural adhesive bonding system, which created a sheer, smooth facade.

Haven House was awarded the Constructing Excellence North East 2010 award for innovation, which recognised both the design and Blake Hopkinson’s collaborative approach to procurement which ensured that maximum value was achieved within the project’s fixed £1.2m budget.