Cembrit has donated its Patina fibre cement and HD cladding to a worthy project that has seen the North Kensington area around Grenfell Tower benefit from a new community centre. Bay 20 is a new two-storey community space on St Marks Road, close to the tower, which was built by a DIY television show. The new multi-use community building provides facilities for local people, including a new café that will be used by the community for many years to come.
Cembrit were contacted by Paul Scott of Penlaw (a building materials distributor central to the delivery of products throughout the project) when another fibre cement manufacturer pulled out at the last minute. Paul was looking for a cladding solution that could be supplied and installed quickly, and Simon Mayes, UK sales manager for façades and building boards at Cembrit, was keen to get involved. After attending a site meeting, Simon established what materials were required. Cembrit supplied 300m² of Cembrit Patina fibre cement cladding boards in granite (P020) and Cembrit HD in natural grey. The boards were fabricated and delivered by AIM Fabrication of Crawley. Originally the design had called for vivid coloured boards installed behind and matching the corrugated steel cladding used as a decorative overlay, combined with dark grey through coloured fibre cement cladding.
“Exact colour-match to the steel overlay was not possible” said Simon, “So, we suggested using our HD board coated in colour-matched paint. Our HD board can be used in its own right, as an uncoated cladding but is also a superb base for site-applied finishes. This proved to be a practical and speedy solution.”
“We were keen get involved in this project as soon as we heard about it” commented Ged Ferris, marketing manager at Cembrit. “Being able to support the build that has provided the local community with a meeting place to retain the community cohesion is a praiseworthy project. We hope that everyone enjoys using it.”
The Cembrit Patina cladding boards are said to have provided an aesthetically pleasing finish to the ground floor external walls. Patina is an autoclaved, through-coloured board in 11 pastel coloured impact-resistant boards characterised by a matte finish and a faint directional grain. During the production process, Patina undergoes an impregnation treatment, which effectively protects against water staining and dirt, ensuring that the façade retains its attractive appearance in both dry and wet weather conditions. Being homogeneous means edge sealing is unnecessary, a massive advantage where the project needs many cuts around openings and façade perimeters. Cembrit HD is a natural grey, uncoated, untreated high density homogeneous fibre-cement building board/cladding sheet, suitable for use in exposed applications.
The A2 non-combustible fire rating according to EN13501, make Patina and HD ideal for newbuild and over cladding rainscreen applications. Variations of shade from sheet to sheet on both Patina and HD will assist in creating a natural looking façade. The sheets can be used for a range of applications, such as: rainscreen cladding, weatherboarding, window elements, fascia, balconies and prefabricated facade elements.
