Client: Hereford Livestock Market
Type of works: supply of Marley fibre cement Profile 6

Marley fibre cement Profile 6 has been used for the roof of the new £7m Hereford Livestock Market.

Profile 6 in Natural Grey was specified principally because the density of the fibre cement minimises reverberation, along with its ability to tackle condensation.

Originally steel sheets were chosen for Hereford market but this was changed to fibre cement because of concerns that reverberation and noise caused by wind, heavy rain and hail would distress the animals.

The steel sheets would also have been susceptible to corrosion caused by heat and moisture from the animals’ slightly acidic breath, which condenses on the relatively cooler underside of the roof. Profile 6 has no metallic content and therefore even in these aggressive environments it has an installed life expectancy of at least 50 years.

Fibre cement Profile 6 has the ability to absorb up to 25% of its dry weight in moisture and then dissipate it in more favourable conditions, which reduces the amount of condensation dripping from the roof and therefore creating a healthier internal environment.

In addition, the thermal properties of fibre cement reduce the occurrence of freezing condensate forming on the underside of the roof on cold winter nights compared to other single skin profiled sheets. This again reduces the amount of water dripping from the roof as the condensation melts.

These factors all help to improve the comfort levels of the livestock and people using the auction market.

As well as fibre cement’s natural ability to dissipate moisture, the specifiers on the Hereford market project incorporated a passive ventilation system into the roof using Marley’s fibre cement ridge pieces in a raised design.

Willmott Dixon was the lead contractor on the project. The Marley profile sheeting was installed by Herefordshire-based Collins Design and Build Ltd.

Market Director Richard Hyde says: “The new building looks absolutely fantastic and puts us among the top 10 markets within the UK. Our volume of sales has increased significantly within the first few weeks of opening.”