The rebuild, restoration and transformation of a house within a conservation area in Lincolnshire into 11 apartments, retail and office space has been completed using the expertise of flat and heritage roofing experts Bracknell Roofing.
The building was demolished to make way for the East-West Link Road in Lincoln, a new link road. In accordance with Historic England the building was taken down brick by brick where possible and rebuilt using existing materials where possible.
With the roof needing complete replacement, lead contractor Balfour Beatty, which is also undertaking the two year highway project, contracted Bracknell Roofing to complete the work on the roof based upon the heritage roofing expertise it had demonstrated on previous roofing collaborations.
As part of the roof replacement, Bracknell Roofing faced the challenge of installing 650m2 of Welsh slate from the Cwt y Bugail quarry Blaenau Ffestiniog in North Wales, chimneys and Velux windows on the properties. The team also used a combination of Marley Eternit capped angle ridge and hip tiles and traditional lead, with GRP on the flat surfaces. All of these needed to match with the architecture of the original building and the local vernacular.
David Sims, section engineer at Balfour Beatty, says: “We have worked with Bracknell Roofing before so we knew its heritage roofing expertise and ability to site manage would be a major help in the completion of this sensitive project. In particular, the slate specified required a trusted partner to install it, and that is what we have with Bracknell Roofing. We plan to use the team again on projects of this nature, and we are really pleased to be able to deliver such a high standard result to English Heritage.
The project was completed to specification and on time at the end of August taking a total of 12 weeks to complete. When the new building opens in October 2016 it will welcome tenants and businesses, bringing jobs and retailers along with customers and additional life to the city centre of Lincoln.
Ian Bladon, regional contracts director at Bracknell Roofing, says: “We were able to provide a high-level of technical support on site throughout the project. We also ensured that material storage and sourcing was well planned to result in a completed project which was true to the original design and aesthetic of the building. Our use of materials on this project, including the rarely specified Welsh slate, shows the range of services and expert skills we have available to us. We’re looking forward to working on heritage projects such as this in the future.”
Nick Greenwood, lead consultant at Mouchel, says: “I’ve been very impressed with the attention to detail and quality of the workmanship delivered on the Heritage Building as part of the East West Link Road.”