Approximately 20,000 Westerland fibre cement slates from Cembrit have been used on the Ministry of Defence’s Single Living Accommodation Modernisation (SLAM) project at Woolwich Barracks. The redevelopment of the Barracks has provided high-standard accommodation for non-married military personnel.
Construction work for Project SLAM began in 2003, with the objective to upgrade over 20,000 bed spaces, utility and common areas and ancillary facilities across the country. It is one of the largest new build and refurbishment projects in the UK. The redevelopment of Woolwich Barracks has created six new accommodations blocks providing over 400 ensuite rooms in total, with an emphasis on the project being as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible. The project has incorporated disabled bed spaces, remodelling three standard rooms into two rooms that comply with DDA regulations for comfortable but functional provision.
Staines-based Richardson Roofing were one of the contractors for this project. Having worked with Cembrit before, Richardson Roofing selected its Westerland slate for the job. Heinie Basson, Project Manager at Richardson Roofing commented: “This was an important project for us. The Woolwich Barracks is a local landmark and we wanted to ensure that our customer, and the local community, were happy with the end result. Cembrit’s Westerland slates are an attractive roofing product and one which we were confident would provide a traditional look in keeping with the surrounding environment. These slates are also extremely cost effective, another reason why they were the ideal choice for this project.”
Cembrit’s Westerland slate has a surface texture and dressed edge similar to that of natural slate but does not need grading and sorting prior to installation. Finished with a semi-matt acrylic coloured coating to the top face and edges and a tinted high performance binder to the back face, the finish is of the highest quality. Easy to work with, as no power tools are needed to re-size the slates, Cembrit’s fibre cement slates simplify the install period and act as an economic alternative to natural roofing materials.
Westerland slates are manufactured in accordance with a quality assurance system to BS EN ISO 9001 standard and to the requirements of BS EN 492: 2004 product specification for fibre cement slates and their fittings. Westerland slate has been awarded the BBA Certificate No. 03/4041. Cembrit’s fibre cement slates achieve the highest approvals from local national and international agencies in the fields of product quality and sustainability
