Marley's Duo Edgemere and Ashmore interlocking tiles have been specified in contrasting Smooth Grey and Old English Dark Red colours to give visual appeal to a large expanse of roof on new build retirement apartments in the historic town of Dorchester.
Named after the acclaimed dialect poet William Barnes who lived and worked in the town, Barnes Lodge is a development of 40 one and two bedroom apartments by Churchill Retirement Living.
As the fastest growing developer of retirement homes in the UK, Churchill regularly specifies Marley's Edgemere and Ashmore tiles as a cost effective way of achieving a contemporary aesthetic on its developments throughout the country.
Simon McFarlane from Planning Issues, the in-house planning and design consultancy for Churchill Retirement Living, explains: “We specified the tiles in Old English Dark Red and Smooth Grey because Churchill likes the style of two contrasting roof colours. Most of the properties the company develops are apartment buildings with up to 90 units, which are high density with a large expanse of roof, which needs colour to attract visual interest and to break it up. The tiles give not only a premium and contemporary aesthetic, but fit within our budget.”
Gavin White, product manager at Marley, adds: “The market is delivering much less specialist housing for older people than is needed and Churchill Retirement Living is working to rapidly develop more apartment sites throughout the country. We are pleased the company has chosen to use our Duo Edgemere and Ashmore interlocking tiles to help it achieve the high quality aesthetic that its buyers demand, at a lower cost. We are seeing growing demand for both products because, not only do they offer a reduction in material costs, but they also offer significant savings on labour time.
“The environmental credentials of our Edgemere and Ashmore tiles are another reason they continue to be a popular choice for housing and healthcare 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. All of these benefits not only demonstrate our commitment to sustainable development, but also contribute towards maximum material credits under the Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM.”
Edgemere slates are a range of large format concrete interlocking tiles, with a thin leading edge for a slate like appearance at a more attractive price. The Duo Edgemere, with a mock bond down the centre of the tile and broken bond laying technique, replicates the appearance of a small format slate, offering all the aesthetic benefits of the natural product but with the ease of installation provided by standard interlocking tiles.
Ashmore gives the appearance of a traditional double lap plain tile, but has a hidden interlock to offer the performance and installation benefits associated with an interlocking tile. Designed to perform at pitches as low as 22.5° and with fewer tiles per square metre than traditional plain tiles, Ashmore is also highly cost-effective.