Pawton Store
Not only had the contractor been using it since it was first introduced to him more than a decade ago but planners in Cornwall insisted the unit had a fibre cement profiled roof in the colour anthracite to blend into the landscape.
The £3million project knocks the spots off anything the UK has to offer the dairy farmer. Not only is it massive in scale and unsurpassed in technology but the developers, Wills Bros Ltd at Pawton Manor near the Cornish showground, spent three weeks in the US researching their requirements.
Buildings that feature Marley Eternit’s profiled sheeting on the roofs include the 120’ x 85’ parlour which revolves on a turnstile, 180’ x 60’ collecting yard, cubicle buildings measuring 435’ x 200’ and 135’ x 60’, and a 300’ x 95’ silage clamp.
Agricultural frame manufacturer Matthew Crocker of Steel Framed Buildings spent two years on the project, working with the family on the design for 14 months, and then building the 14,000m² with 700 loads of concrete for another 14 months.
He specified the Marley Eternit profiled sheeting because although there is a significant range of colour finishes, he knew the anthracite would blend into the landscape and therefore be popular with the planners.
Other properties prove popular with the residents - its vapour permeability significantly reduces the risk of condensation that would otherwise fall onto the livestock, its low thermal conductivity reduces heat build-up in summer and heat loss in winter and its excellent acoustic insulation substantially reduces airborne sound.
Yet more properties prove popular with developers like the Wills brothers – being a cementitious product it has no metallic content so there is no risk of corrosion, and it is minimally effected by frost or climatic temperature changes. Maintenance is negligible.
“We always knew this would be the product used. It is one of the factors we needed to ensure the project worked to the best of its ability,” said Mr Crocker.