Natura decorative rainscreen cladding from Marley Eternit has been specified on the eye-catching new 115-bed Whitbread Premier Inn in Bury, Greater Manchester.
Natura fibre cement cladding with the anti graffiti Pro coating was specified to give the building a dynamic and engaging facade, whilst accentuating the vivid yellow trapezoid-shaped window surrounds, which also serve a practical purpose of reducing solar gain.
Natura is an aesthetically appealing fibre cement panel designed for external decorative rainscreen cladding applications. It has a tactile, smooth, semi-translucent surface, which allows the natural variegation of the fibre cement to show through, and this feature particularly appealed to the architects Carey Jones, who specified the panels in Anthracite colour.
Patrick Evers of Carey Jones Architects explains: "We specified Natura because we wanted a natural-looking material in a colour that would accentuate the yellow window surrounds. Marley Eternit was quick to understand our requirements and presented us with a sample of Natura with the Pro coating in Anthracite - we particularly liked its colour and texture, which creates far more visual interest than, for example, a flat masonry-based facade."
"As well as matching our aesthetic requirements," he adds, "The Marley Eternit fibre cement panels are high quality and easy to install on site. They are also a long term, low maintenance solution and met our criteria for sustainability because they can achieve an A+ rating as defined in the BRE Green Guide to Specification."
Natura is available in a wide choice of colours and finishes. Practical qualities of the material include fire classifications A2-s1, d0 non combustible and EN 13501-1, durability, strength and an installed life expectancy of at least 50 years.
The walls of the Bury Premier Inn were constructed using a Metsec Steel Frame System (SFS) and insulated infill panels. The internal face is particle board, whilst the walls incorporate 60mm of thermal and acoustic insulation. The walls achieve a U value of 0.35w/m2/k.