THERE HAVE BEEN MORE IMITATIONS OF STONE THAN ANY OTHER NATURAL BUILDING MATERIAL. THIS PERSISTENT
EMULATION HAS BEEN FOR REASONS OF ECONOMY, AVAILABILITY AND FASHION. TODAY, CAST STONEWORK IS
BEING USED INCREASINGLY BY ARCHITECTS, FOR RESTORATIONS AND NEW BUILDS, AS A SUBSTITUTE IN THE
APPLICATIONS WHERE QUARRIED STONE IS DIFFICULT, TIME-CONSUMING AND EXPENSIVE TO EMPLOY.
The ability to mould cast stone to practically any shape, size or colour has led to an increase in the use of cast stonework for both traditional and contemporary architecture.
Normally associated with classical designs, Haddonstone, the UK’s leading manufacturer of fine architectural stonework, is also renowned for creating custom stonework for more contemporary designs. Recently, Haddonstone manufactured bespoke architectural stonework for the façade of the award winning 51 Hills Road for Jesus College in Cambridge.
Located in a conservation area, surrounded by listed buildings, the college has moved away from stereotypical office block architecture to provide a high quality, contemporary structure. Architects at Gort Scott were given a brief to provide a building that would serve as a lasting asset to the College whilst making a positive contribution to the surrounding area. Graham Rodgers of Haddonstone worked closely with Gort Scott to design and manufacture bespoke architectural stonework including impressive contemporary window surrounds.
Haddonstone manufactures three unique forms of cast limestone with surface textures similar to Portland stone or natural limestone.
The material meets all British Standards and exceeds those set by the United Kingdom
Cast Stone Association (UKCSA) Gort Scott, therefore, had every confidence in the quality and durability of the stonework for the project.
The stonework for 51 Hills Road was manufactured in Haddonstone’s TecStone material, a unique wet cast process that produces a denser cast stone product with a smoother finish to meet demanding design and performance criteria specified in new build and refurbishment projects. Haddonstone offers two alternatives to the TecStone material – the standard semi-dry cast and TecLite. For the semi-dry cast Haddonstone, the principle materials are limestone, white cement, sand and a small quantity of water. The mixture is gradually packed into the mould using a number of ingeniously crafted tools. Plasticisers and water proofers improve workability and aid compaction as well as durability. The TecLite material is a high specification mix containing drawn glass fibre which benefits from a high strength to weight ratio. Its thin wall construction and GRC technology means the component weight is reduced by approximately two thirds when compared with similar Haddonstone pieces. TecLite is therefore, ideal for retro-fit, refurbishments, timber frame and new build projects where weight is an issue.
The unique design for Jesus College has received many prestigious awards including a BREEAM Excellent rating and Best Commercial Building at the Brick Awards 2016. The project also won both a RIBA National Award and a RIBA East Award.
Whether you are looking to enhance an existing property façade, restore an historic building or design a new build in a traditional, classical or contemporary design, cast stone architectural stonework can embellish and compliment an otherwise perhaps rather ordinary façade, uplifting it to much grander proportions.
For more information on the Haddonstone collection request a copy of the company’s 216 page catalogue email infohaddonstone.co.uk, visit www.haddonstone.com or call 01604 770711.