Marley Alutec’s aluminium rainwater and eaves products have been used on a high quality modern social housing development in Swansea, Wales.
Consisting of 14 properties, the £1.5 million project embodies the durable, practical and cost effective ethos so needed within the sector.
Completed by Gwalia, part of the Pobl Group, the development of seven pairs of semi-detached houses in West Glamorgan represents the ideal model of affordable family housing.
Designed to blend in with the local architecture and provide dependable performance for the foreseeable future, it was important to achieve a modern aesthetic and choose building products that would stand the test of time.
Andrew Baker, Director at Rio Architects, commented: “We specified the use of Marley Alutec’s aluminium products because their durability and style were the perfect match for the design of this project. In the social housing sector it is particularly important to use products that will not require frequent maintenance and that offer competitive whole life costs.”
Installed at the project was Marley Alutec’s Evolve half round guttering and Flush-fit downpipes, as well as its Evoke fascia and soffits. All of these have a life expectancy of 50 years or more and are almost completely maintenance free, reducing life cycle costs and disruption to residents. In addition, Marley Alutec provided water butt fittings to meet the requirements for rainwater harvesting on the development.
Elfed Roberts, Head of Projects at the Pobl Group, said: “As a responsible social housing provider managing over 16,000 properties, we take pride in offering a quality service and our approach to this development was no different. Our aim was to build attractive, robust family homes that would offer their residents a comfortable living environment and I’m confident we have achieved this.
"Marley Alutec has been very helpful throughout the design and build process and we will be looking to use their aluminium products again in the future. Its products were essential in helping create the modern and visually pleasing exterior we were after.”
Marley Alutec’s aluminium products are extremely lightweight and easy to install. Not only do they require no specialist tools or contractors to fit and adapt on site, they also benefit from the most colour stable architectural grade paint finish available, meaning they will continue to look their best for many years to come.
Kevin Wallis, Category Manager – Eaves Solutions at Marley Alutec, commented: “Aluminium systems are perfectly suited to the social housing sector as they combine the durability of aluminium, reducing future maintenance costs, with the ease of installation of plastic, reducing site costs such as scaffold hire and additional labour.
"Importantly, they also deliver aesthetically and will maintain their looks for many years to come. It’s been a pleasure to work with Gwalia, Rio Architects and Hale Construction throughout this project and I’m excited to see how we can continue to work together on future developments.”