SIG Zinc & Copper’s zinc shingles were chosen to roof this stunning cliff house, Casa Acantilado in Salobrena, Spain. Designed by GilBartolome Architects, the practice is known for their innovative use of both modern technology and traditional techniques to create amazing architectural forms.
How was the Casa Acantilado roof built?
Architect Jaime Bartolome has published some photographs of the construction of the zinc roof structure on his blog. These first layers are a network of rebar woven over strip steel curves at intervals up the roof pitch, supported on acrow props. On first inspection they look almost like they might be timber and woven willow, the forms are so complex.
This network of rebar was then cast into a single span, undulating reinforced concrete roof slab. The roof is finished with some fantastic zinc shingles made from elZinc® Natural, each with a turned-up corner to evoke a reptilian surface reminiscent of a horned viper.
How could we build an undulating zinc shingle roof in the UK?
Simon Walker, Category Manager for SIG Zinc & Copper commented about the structure for the Casa Acantilado, and how it might be constructed in the UK. “Whilst it would be possible to cast such a complicated roof in a similar manner,” he said, “it might also be possible to do something very similar using timber, with canted rafters, similar to a complex eyebrow roof. If the roof is to have a single curvature, flexible ply might also be a solution.”
In either case, he stressed, it would be important to ensure the roof build up was correctly detailed with an appropriate substrate for the conditions and to meet UK building regulations. “We’d love to be involved in such a project in the UK, and our partners elZinc® would be happy to repeat,” he said.
SIG Design & Technology takes the risk out of roof design, offering a genuinely independent choice of waterproofing for flat, green, zinc and copper roofs. Designs are covered by our PI insurance and we’re part of SIG plc, a FTSE250 company. Our blog at www.singleply.co.uk/blog explores some of your common problems in roof design and system choice, or book our new RIBA CPDs, ‘A Structured Approach to Roof Specification & Design’ and ‘Specifying Hard Metals: Choosing the Right Product for the Project’.
