Marley’s Riven Edgemere slates have been used to help transform a derelict piece of land in the Black Country into a state of the art residential home for people with mental health and learning difficulties.
The £1.1 million Oak House development by Camino Healthcare is a purpose built specialist 24 hour nursing facility in Tipton to help men and women with mental health problems begin the recovery process.
Oak House was carefully designed to be sensitive to the local residential area, characterised by semi-detached, post war, municipal housing, as well as the site’s industrial heritage and adjacent rail line. Therefore the use of appropriate materials was particularly important. Marley’s Riven Edgemere concrete interlocking slates were chosen by main contractor, Bullock Construction as a cost effective alternative to natural slate.
Andy Blandford from Bullock Construction, comments: “We knew we wanted an interlocking concrete tile with a thin leading edge and riven surface to replicate the look of natural slate. We chose the Riven Edgemere tile because its randomised texture meant it was the closest match we could get to natural slate within the budget.”
The Oak House roof is finished in two different materials; 2,500 Riven Edgemere slates in smooth grey have been used on one section of the building, together with zinc panels to provide a contemporary yet industrial feel on the other roof plane.
Andy Blandford continues: “The roof was designed to reflect the industrial heritage of the wider area, whilst complementing local housing. It will be particularly effective when people are passing by on the rail line at the rear of the development, due to the sequential views of surrounding industrial roof lines.”
Gavin White, product manager at Marley, adds: “There is a growing demand for interlocking concrete slates, which have a thin leading edge at the moment because developers still want to achieve that slate look but are faced with growing budgetary and time pressures. As a result, Edgemere has proven to be one of, if not, the most outstanding performer in terms of consumer demand since 2009. The latest Riven version has been particularly popular because it has all the benefits of Edgemere, with the addition of a textured surface, specifically designed for projects, like this one, where planners require a closer match to the look of natural slate.
“The environmental credentials of Edgemere tiles are one of the reasons they continue to be a popular choice for healthcare and public sector projects, with independent carbon certification, the ability to achieve an A+ rating in the BRE’s Green Guide to Specification and certification to the BES 6001 standard for Responsible Sourcing.”
Marley's Edgemere slates are large format concrete interlocking tiles with a thin leading edge for a slate like appearance at a more attractive price. With only 9.7 tiles per square metre, Edgemere is a single lap solution that is quicker and easier to install than natural slate and 40% thinner than standard concrete interlocking tiles. With the ability to perform at pitches as low as 17.5°, Edgemere has the versatility to be used on a wide range of roof types and is now available in three variants, standard, riven and duo.