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Copper Art enhances coastal conservation

13 Aug 2021
Case study

• Project: The Beach Retreat
• Location: Ramsgaten, Kent, UK
 Scope of Project: 7 Luxury Apartments
• Year completed: 2014
• Products used:
Flagon Copper Art PVC SFC 1.8 mm Waterproofing membrane
Flagon Copper Art Standing Seam Profiles

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Just 1 hour and 20 minutes from London via the high speed rail link, lies the historic maritime town of Ramsgate, where a new highly sought after contemporary project, has been developed. Consisting of 7 luxury beachfront apartments with uninterrupted sea views, the Beach Retreat is positioned on the marina esplanade along the beautiful east Kent coastline. The roof design is of particular interest as Ramsgate seafront and Marina Esplanade is a designated Conservation Area and area of special architectural and historic interest.

CONSERVATION ISSUES

The Beach Retreat roof is a waveform design inspired by the coastal surroundings, Soprema’s Copper Art membrane was specified in order to respect the planning requirements of the conservation area and associated regulations together with planning policy guidance notes. All new developments in the area are required to aspire to the quality of design and execution related to its context. This area of special architectural interest and historic character demands the design for new buildings to enhance and maintain this special character by understanding and reflecting the positive design attributes. Locally, a mix of construction materials have typically been used including slated, tiled and traditional metal roofs. The selection of a single ply membrane manufactured with real copper particles, provides the aesthetic benefits of a traditional copper roof, but also the advantages of a modern waterproofing material, eliminating the risks associated with traditional roofing methods such as water ingress. Using Copper Art single ply membrane with Copper Art Standing Seam Profiles, along with a high level of workmanship enabled the conservation regulations to be achieved.

INNOVATIVE USE OF PRODUCT

Flagon Copper Art PVC membrane with Standing Seam Profiles was selected in order to compliment the surrounding structures in this area of special historic interest. The Copper Art membrane not only takes on the patina of age, just as real copper would, as it contains real copper particles, but also prevents the opportunist, in relation to an increasing number of thefts from traditional copper roofs. Using a modern membrane in an innovative application such as this to achieve a traditional waterproofing aesthetic finish has provided the structure with a roof that has all of the performance benefits of a modern high performance roofing and waterproofing system, and met the conservation requirements for the local area.

INNOVATIVE USE OF PRODUCT

“We are really pleased with the look and finish of the roof in particular as this was one of the most challenging elements of the work. As you can see from the photos; the forming of the wave style roof was a very complicated element in the overall construction and is one of its main features. It took a lot of attention to detail coupled with a careful installation to ensure that we achieved the desired effect. We are confident this has now been achieved as we have received an abundance of compliments since it was completed.” Chris Lynch, Kentish Projects.