To complement surrounding architecture and ensure fire regulation compliance, CUPA PIZARRAS’ CUPACLAD® 101 Logic natural slate rainscreen cladding system has been used on new-build apartments in the Cornish coastal town of Padstow.
As part of the refurbishment and extension of the Padstow Harbour Hotel, 10 new homes – two standalone properties and a block of eight luxury apartments – were built on a section of the land surrounding the hotel.
Located in the Padstow Conservation Area, it was essential that the design and materials of the new properties reflected and complemented the traditional style of the buildings that surrounded it, as well as the architecture of Padstow as a whole.
Chris Kenny, associate architect at Kay Elliot Architects, explained: “For the residential properties, we utilised a simple palette of materials that was informed by the local area and in keeping with the Padstow Harbour Hotel itself. This included the traditional hanging slate seen on the outside of buildings throughout Padstow, which we aimed to replicate with a modern slate cladding system.”
Due to the evolving fire regulations at the time of the project’s design and specification, the project team wanted to ensure compliance regardless of new requirements. Therefore, the decision was made to clad the three-storey apartment building in an A1 rated system. CUPACLAD® from CUPA PIZARRAS was selected, with the 101 Logic system specifically chosen to achieve the balance between traditional and contemporary aesthetics that the project required.
The BBA certified CUPACLAD® system features 40cm x 20cm CUPA PIZARRAS natural slates with a thickness of 7.5mm. The CUPACLAD® 101 series has an invisible fixing system that uses aluminium profiles and specially designed stainless steel self-drilling screws.
In addition to the aesthetic and fire resistance properties, the high-quality natural slate also offers longevity and durability, even in coastal locations exposed harsh winter weather. This was particularly important in the harbour town of Padstow. With a very low level of water absorption – between 0.16 and 0.17% – this W1 tested slate is not susceptible to the degradation caused by repeated freeze-thaw cycles over its lifetime.
Chris Staward, managing director at Roofing Cornwall, who carried out the installation of the roofing and cladding said: “Although we had used CUPA PIZARRAS slate on previous projects, we had not worked with the CUPACLAD® system before. However, we found it easy to install and it delivered exactly what the client was looking for.”
Simon Hope, CUPACLAD® product manager at CUPA PIZARRAS, concluded: “This project provides an excellent blueprint for how many similar projects can be designed going forward. CUPACLAD® allows a traditional slate cladding aesthetic but with an installation process that is designed to be simple and fully compliant with the latest fire safety best practice and legislation.”
