A contemporary visitor centre, in 150 acres of historical landscape, has been constructed to blend seamlessly with its surroundings, supported by the specification of JB Western Red Cedar Shingles from Marley on its roof and part of its facade.
Wynyard Hall is a Grade II listed building located on the outskirts of Durham, which holds a hotel, conference facility, and luxury wedding venue.
At the heart of the 150-acre estate lies The Gardens, an extensive 19th Century rose garden home to over 3,000 roses and a Victorian-inspired Glasshouse.
As part of the wider Wynyard Walled Gardens project, the site’s owner was keen to construct the Wynyard Hall Visitor Centre within the old walled garden - however, the bespoke brief meant work needed to blend contemporary tones with overarching Victorian themes.
As part of the project, sub-contractors Barclay Roofing Ltd, specified JB Western Red Cedar Shingles for the entire roof and certain sections of the walls of the visitor centre.
The JB Western Red Cedar Shingles, which are Certi-grade accredited as ‘Blue Label’ by the CSSB (Cedar Shingle and Shake Bureau) were specified as they guarantee the highest quality shingles and are PEFC accredited. Furthermore, 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.
Yet, the benefits of the shingles reach far beyond a longer life span, with cedar shingles also offering 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.
Commenting on the bespoke brief, Mike Flounders, Contracts Manager at Barclay Roofing Ltd says: “The unusual nature of this project meant we needed a roofing material which could effortlessly merge contemporary and classical themes, complementing the surrounding environment. JB Western Red Cedar Shingles were the obvious choice as they are not only sustainable; they also offer the rich aesthetics which perfectly suit the heritage of the surrounding area, which was really key to this project.”
In addition to the shingles, the project contractors also specified ShingleFix Staple System, which uses specially designed stainless steel staples to fix the shingles instead of using the traditional nail, significantly reducing the installation time of the project – up to 50% for larger projects.
JB Red roofing battens were also selected for the project as they offer guaranteed strength, compliant with BS 5534:2014 and, therefore do not require any further grading on site. JB Red battens are characterised by their red finish and ‘BS 5534’ stamp, confirming they have been stringently tested to ensure they meet all the strength requirements of the new British Standard, using production processes independently certified by the Building Research Establishment (BRE).
Mike Flounders explains why specifying multiple products from Marley helped streamline the project. He comments: “Working on projects such as this can often see us need to work alongside architects, specifiers, builders, and even other sub-contractors. This means that when products are specified, the supply chain can become very complex, with the chance of error and time delays also increasing. Using products from a single source removes this complexity and risk of error, giving us maximum control of our supply chain, and the quality of the products we choose.”
