Situated between the historic town of Cumnock in Ayrshire and the Dumfries House Estate, Knockroon is an ambitious new development from the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment. With a strong emphasis on sustainability and architectural heritage throughout the project, products from Marley Alutec’s range of aluminium rainwater systems were an ideal solution.
As an educational charity focused on promoting timeless and ecological ways of planning, designing and building, the Prince’s Foundation has set out to create a sustainable neighbourhood at Knockroon that has the capacity to endure long into the future, as a model for others to follow. Quality, longevity and environmental performance were key drivers throughout the specification process.
With construction work led by respected local Ayrshire housebuilder, Hope Homes Scotland Ltd, the development has also been designed to reflect the rich architectural tradition of the area, with every detail of the project carefully selected to blend with this traditional style. The rainwater system, therefore, needed to deliver on a number of practical and aesthetic fronts. Based on these requirements, Craig Holland of Holmac Plumbing recommended Marley Alutec’s Evolve Half Round gutter and 63mm Ø downpipe in Heritage Black.
“The client wanted a very traditional finish so the Evolve system was ideal, as it achieves the classic cast iron look but at a fraction of the price. It’s also much lighter and easier to install, which is a major consideration on a project of this size,” Craig commented.
The Evolve system also ticked the boxes in terms of durability and long-term performance. All products in the Evolve range have an extremely long life expectancy of 50 years or more. The polyester powder coating ensures a hardwearing, fade resistant finish, which reduces maintenance and will last the lifetime of the product – perfect for a project such as Knockroon.
As well as benefiting from this extended life span, the responsible manufacturing processes and infinitely recyclable aluminium used in the Evolve range make it the product of choice for sustainable building. Aluminium is one of the only materials that can be recycled again and again without loss of quality, and using just 5% of the original processing energy, benefits that chime perfectly with the sustainable ethos at Knockroon.
Anne Hope, Director of Hope Homes, commented: “We chose the Marley Alutec system partly because of its attractive appearance and ability to take a paint finish, which helped us achieve the look we wanted. However, as a sustainable urban development, durability and environmental performance are our key concerns and the Marley Alutec system certainly meets our requirements in this area as well. We are delighted with the rainwater goods and their performance so far.”
For more information please visit www.marleyalutec.co.uk