SOUTH Lanarkshire Council has specified Hardrow Slates from Forticrete for the £3 million refurbishment of Auldhouse Primary School in East Kilbride.
Part of South Lanarkshire Council’s £856 million Primary Schools’ Modernisation Programme, refurbishing the sandstone Victorian school included the removal of the 1960s extensions to the south and the construction of a new extension to the west. Increasing overall floor space by more than 160 square metres, the development also included adding two new classrooms, a street circulation area, library, gym hall, office, kitchen and stores. The school now also boasts a multi-use sports pitch available for community use also.
As surrounding buildings feature natural stone with stone slate roofs, South Lanarkshire Council wanted to ensure all materials used would blend harmoniously with the built and rural environment around the school. With this in mind, Forticrete’s Hardrow Slates in Dark Grey were handpicked to provide both a cost effective and aesthetically pleasing solution.
Dennis Wong, Architect at South Lanarkshire Council, said, “Forticrete’s Hardrow Slate provided the ideal solution for use on this sensitive site; it offers the same architectural properties as natural slate, with an aesthetically pleasing finish at a fraction of the cost. Hardrow is also available in a range of natural stone shades, which meant that we were able to carefully select the perfect colour which would be best suited to compliment the development’s surrounding environment.”
Forticrete’s Hardrow roof slates are manufactured with a slight variation in dimensional tolerance, adding to the product’s character when laid.
The range, which is extremely durable and mellows with age, can be laid in either random widths or diminishing courses for an authentic traditional appearance.
The slates are available in a variety of sizes, for both roofing and vertical cladding. The sizes range from 457mm x 305mm (min. pitch 25o), right up to the imposing 610mm x 457mm which can be laid confidently at pitches as low as 17.5o, creating a bold appearance. The colour of Hardrow Slates will change with natural weathering, but the integrity of the tile carries a 30-year guarantee from date of supply.
