Welsh Slate has
announced that it is developing a dedicated façade system for natural slate.
The initiative is in
partnership with SFS, the market-leading fastening systems manufacturer. It was
introduced to the market at the Natural Stone Show in April/May and will be
launched fully later this year.
On Welsh Slate's side
the system will comprise a choice of Penrhyn Heather Blue and Cwt-y-Bugail Blue
Grey 20mm-thick slate panels with pre-installed fixing brackets on the reverse.
They will be available in Honed, Flamed and Riven finishes and range in size
from 400mm to 800mm as standard. The panels can be fixed in either landscape or
portrait configurations.
The pre-installed
brackets on the panels will be mechanically secret fixed using self-tapping
stainless steel rivets to SFS' NV3 Nvelope lightweight aluminium framing system
which is designed to provide a horizontal support for most façade types. The
brackets are anchored to the building using a primary fixing while allowing for
final alignment and adjustment.
Welsh Slate MD Mark
Hodgkinson said: "We are very excited with this initiative in that we will
soon have a proprietary system that will showcase the many benefits of Welsh
Slate as a façade material."
Cameron MacBride, OEM
manager at SFS UK, said: "The SFS UK partnership with Welsh Slate really
shows the versatility of the Nvelope NV3 sub-frame system, allowing us to work
with a respected natural slate manufacturer. We have really enjoyed working
with Welsh Slate on this project. With this collaboration, architects and
specifiers now have an even wider choice of façade options with our popular NV3
support frame."
Welsh Slate was most
recently used as a façade material, alongside roofing slates and an internal
hearth, on the £21 million Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow. The
bespoke system was specified by Ryder Architecture.
