Stunning Cedar Shingles for façade and roof of Tonbridge Prep school

John Brash Western Red Cedar shingles have been used for the façade and roof of new school buildings in Kent.

The new buildings at Hilden Grange Prep School in Tonbridge, Kent are set in a conservation zone. Consideration was required to achieve a sustainable build and minimise disruption during the build, as the school remained operational throughout. The building was designed by Hawkins Brown to achieve a low carbon footprint, achieving a BREEAM rating of ‘very good’.

The design of the new school buildings used timber from the building frame, through to the elevations of the building, which were clad in shingles and cedar boarding to give a varied but complementary appearance to the natural landscape.

Cedar shingles were chosen by Hawkins Brown, as the building design required the facade to ‘wrap over’ the roof. Cedar Shingles provided a versatile covering that would work for both the building elevation and the roof. To further improve the sustainable credentials of the project all vertical, pitched and flat areas to the buildings were insulated, which delivered superior thermal and acoustic properties and contributed towards efficient new school buildings.

Due to the number of roof lights incorporated into the roof design, installation of the cedar shingles was complex. The gauging and cutting of each shingle had to be precise, with 3 different gauges used to achieve a ‘crisp’ appearance. Terry Scard, of specialist sub-contractor Cobsen Davies comments “The mix of products specified for the building envelope made this project really interesting and very technical to deliver. In addition to the shingle facades and pitched roof areas, a green roof was installed to the flat roof area and the finished buildings look great and blend into the lovely surroundings”.

To find out more visit https://www.johnbrash.co.uk/shingles-shakes/