CONCRETE ROOF TILES USED FOR WALL CLADDING ON COASTAL HOME

Caption: This Beautiful Fantastic was built with Eagle Roof Tiles Slate-grey Shingle roof tiles which were used to clad the wall facades as well as the roof.

Written by David Beer on behalf of the Concrete Manufacturers Association

What is the outcome when one combines a challenging brief and a great product with ground-breaking creativity? Simply put, This Beautiful Fantastic, a double-storey timber-framed home abutting the beach at the Eastern Cape coastal resort town of Kammabaai, Eerste Rivier.

Most architects specify precast concrete roof tiles exclusively for roof cladding, but not the design team for This Beautiful Fantastic. Instead they used slate-grey shingle roof tiles, manufactured in George by Eagle Roof Tiles as a wall-cladding and roofing material.

According to architect Jacques Theron of Ontwerp Studio, the project’s main design driver was the architectural guidelines of the area which recommends timber-framed houses.

“Unlike most timber-framed houses in the immediate vicinity which are clad with timber-slatted facades, in this instance the design team opted to clad two elevations with roof tilling, and for three compelling reasons: little to no maintenance requirement; durability and strength; and, as the photos demonstrate here, they make for an extremely attractive wall-façade cladding material, ideally suited to the Scandinavian barn-style design of the house,” said Theron.

The tiles are fixed on conventional roof trusses and are supported with standard battens on the wall facades, and, as the images show, the transition from roof covering to facade cladding is seamless. The tiles are securely fastened with nails and storm clips and can withstand storm winds up to 180km.

This Beautiful Fantastic was constructed as a haven for a Port Elizabeth family. Besides the downstairs living area, the house comprises an upstairs mezzanine, four bedrooms and three bathrooms. It was built in three sections with an external timber-framed entertainment area and a sea-facing wooden deck situated on either side of the main structure, ensuring quality outdoor living.

Its timber-frame comprises wooden posts/columns, roof trusses, cross members and horizontal supports in locally-sourced SA Pine. Posts exposed to the elements are recessed for protection from the elements.

The bathrooms and some of the external walls were built with plastered masonry which helps anchor the timber framework.

One gable end comprises a well-integrated combination of the roof tiles, balau timber cladding and plastered masonry facades, with the roof tiles accounting for 80% of the façade covering. Guttering is in aluminium and is concealed so as not to spoil the seamless flow of the Shingle tiles from roof to wall façade.

‘Unlike most timber-clad houses which must be sanded and re-sealed every five-to-ten years, roof tile cladding requires no maintenance. Moreover, the homely beauty of concrete roof tiles does not wane or diminish, but endures and improves with ageing,” advises Theron.

PROFESSIONAL TEAM

Owner / Occupier:              Liezl & John Pape

Architects:                          Jacques Theron, Ontwerp Studio, Gqeberha Guy Hart, Khaya Design,      Gqeberha

Clayton Johnson-Goddard, NMU, Gqeberha

Engineer:                            Rigo Govoni, Structural Solutions, Gqeberha

Main Contractor:                 Brandon Calitz, Calitz Building Projects, Kenton on Sea

Electricians:                        Righardt van Dyk, Menlo Electrical (Pty) Ltd, Jeffrey’s Bay

Plumber :                             Mike Davies , MD Plumbers, Kenton on Sea

Environmental Services:    Warren Lange, Hortcouture Landscape Architecture & Planning, Port Alfred.