Apr3
The Chequers, Lichfield
Posted by Ashlea Williamson
Situated eighteen miles north of Birmingham, Lichfield is the home of The Chequers, a housing development managed by Bromford Housing Association. Overlooked by the treasured landmark Lichfield Cathedral, Chequers is set on the edge of a conservation area amongst a city steeped in history, making it a traditional haven amongst the more modern, urban landscape of the surrounding towns. The development at Vernon Street in Ashton-Under- Lyne saw the creation of 23 modern and contemporary apartments. Nicknamed “Cottonopolis” in the 19th century, this modern three storey building was specifically designed to pay homage to the heritage of the local area and recreate the historic Manchester cotton mills from days gone by.
Client Brief
The client sought to futureproof and maximise the lifespan of Sixteen bungalows by converting the existing flat roofs into modern and attractive pitched roofs.
There were two factors of the project that needed careful consideration. The first was location. Due to its location and the surroundings, the aesthetics of the roof needed to be carefully considered. The second was disruption – As residents needed full access to the property whilst work was in progress, it was important to keep any disruption to a minimum.
High Performance and Elegance
After a number of collaborations over several projects, there was no hesitation from Bromford Housing Association when they opted for Alumasc’s Airtile Villa system.
This versatile, simple and elegant modern day version of a traditional slate tile, has all the characteristics you would find from a traditional roof tile with its authentic finish and riven edges. However due to its ground breaking design, unlike a normal roof tile it will not crack, break, chip or delaminate.
Manufactured from Lightweight Aluzinc Steel (up to 7 times lighter than a traditional tile) gives the product excellent and long-lasting strength and performance, far exceeding anything that has gone before it.
Aesthetic Stress Free Installation
Situated on the edge of a conservation area, the new pitched roofs needed to seamlessly integrate with the historical nature of the surroundings.
Bromford and the Alumasc team opted for Airtile Villa – a modern roman style tile, to ensure the character of the building worked with the existing buildings in the vicinity. The team could also achieve a consistent look across the whole site with the ranges extensive choice of accessories and flashings.
Disruption to the residents would be kept to a minimum due to installation times being dramatically reduced compared to traditional installation techniques. The quick and easy installation ensures the job is completed quickly and efficiently, a reason the system is favoured by contractors from all over the U.K.
Long Lasting Strength
A combination of its durability, security and maintenance-free attributes, Airtile slate is made in the U.K and comes complete with BBA certification and 40 years warranty to provide 4 decades of protection against weather penetration.
It’s impressive vandal resistance (0.9mm steel base) and AA classification for Fire resistance is equal to any
traditional roof tiles and slate. The Airtile systems provides added security for the residents within the property in addition to providing the clients with a stress free, cost effective and durable solution to the refurbishment.
To ensure we reduce our footprint on the world the Airtile’s range of roof tiles and systems are 100% recyclable after its life expectancy of 60 years.
Shaun Clewes, Operation Manager from Novus Solutions commented “Alumasc products are innovative and always of the highest quality. Add the teams reliable, professional and supportive service, their collaborative approach to each projects mean we always achieve our goals.
Dan Arrowsmith from Bromford Housing Association “Working with Alumasc is always stress free. We have worked with them on several projects. Their products are world class, and the team are always professional and dependable. It makes us feel very confident in both the company, the products and the service they deliver.