A custom-built detached home situated on a peninsula in a secluded lagoon, and featuring JB Western Red Cedar Shingles from Marley Eternit has scooped a number of leading industry awards.
Located in the Norfolk broads, Britain’s largest protected wetland, Backwater, which was created by, Platform 5 Architects, is made up of three self-contained modules. Each individual module is further complemented by the cedar-clad pitched roofs found at the front of the property.
The unique home, which is surrounded on three sides by water, was awarded a RIBA East Award 2017, which celebrates the building’s regional importance as a piece of architecture. Further testament to the property’s striking design, Backwater was also crowned Custom and Self Build Project of the Year at the 2017 Structural Timber Awards, which celebrates expertise in timber and its continued contribution to the built environment.
The usual location of the property meant the project’s architects required a roofing solution which not only delivered a stand-out design, but one which is also sympathetic to the surrounding trees and water. The bespoke brief, together with structural requirements which required all materials used to offer lightweight properties, meant Marley Eternit’s JB Western Red Cedar Shingles were the obvious choice to create a textured roofscape which seamlessly blends in with the natural surroundings.
Externally, both the roof and side walls have been clad in treated shingles, offering a darker aesthetic, while the front and rear elevations of the property used untreated shingles, which will naturally weather to deliver a warm textured appearance.
Patrick Michell, practice partner at Platform 5 Architects, who is also homeowner at Backwater, comments: “Located within a national park made the site a particularly sensitive location for new developments. This meant we needed to carefully consider each individual element to ensure it not only delivered striking aesthetics suitable for the surroundings, but also was lightweight enough to be used on the timber framed structure.”
In addition to the striking design of the property, Platform 5 was also keen to deliver a property which placed sustainability at its heart, offering an energy efficient family home. Cedar shingles offer a renewable and sustainable roofing and cladding solution with one of the lowest carbon footprints of any widely used building product. In addition, the shingles require low maintenance, and the colour blend ensures the building fits seamlessly within the type of natural environment the project sought to replicate.
Daniel Redfern, Marketing Executive – Residential Roofing at Marley Eternit, comments: “The use of JB Western Red Cedar Shingles really delivers a stand-out design on the project, and we are delighted it has been recognised with a number of industry awards.
“As more and more projects are now looking to boost sustainability credentials, cedar shingles are providing an ideal option which doesn’t compromise on aesthetics, as shown at Backwater.”
The JB Shingles, which are Certi-grade accredited as ‘Blue Label’ by the CSSB (Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau) were specified as they guarantee the highest quality shingles and are PEFC accredited. Furthermore, the majority of the shingles specified were also treated with MicroPro®, a clear treatment which not only protects against wood rooting fungi and insect attacks, but also lets the shingle weather naturally without any staining sometimes associated with other treatments, and can deliver an extended life span of 40 years.
For further information on Marley Eternit’s range of shingles, visit: www.marleyeternit.co.uk