Helping to achieve an unrivalled aesthetic whilst also meeting heritage requirements, SSQ Slate has provided its exclusive Del Carmen Ultra slate to the new Hope House building at the Royal High School, Bath – part of the Cranwell House expansion project.
Due to strict conservation requirements, a roofing material was needed which would meet Bath & North East Somerset Council planning standards. As a heritage accepted slate, SSQ’s Del Carmen Ultra was ideal, being commonly accepted as a viable alternative to indigenous slates.
Equally important to the prestigious Hope House project was a need to ensure a uniform aesthetic appearance that would minimise the visual impact of the new building, particularly against adjacent listed Victorian building, Cranwell House. The consistent cleavage of the Del Carmen rock allowed this uniformity to be achieved.
Richard Puleston, Architect from Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios said: “SSQ’s Del Carmen Ultra slate offered a wide variety of benefits that made it incredibly well suited to this project – meeting planning requirements first and foremost.”
Richard agreed: “Cost is always a major factor when it comes to selecting materials – from that perspective, SSQ’s Del Carman Ultra was incredibly well priced, particularly when compared to other slate materials available. Del Carmen Ultra also comes complete with a 100-year guarantee, which was something that we knew we wouldn’t get from other quarries and manufacturers.”
SSQ’s Del Carmen Ultra slate features a distinctive, faintly rippled riven texture combined with a rich deep blue/black colour as well as a longitudinal grain for added character.
Rob Young, Director of Young’s Roofing Limited said: “Using 100mm hooks to fix the bottom row of slates in place, we found SSQ’s Del Carmen very easy to work with. The end result looks great and is in perfect alignment with the look and feel of the surrounding buildings, which was one of the key reasons why the material was selected.”
