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design
mag |
107
Functional design and ease of construction
usually trump aesthetics when it comes to
small-scale industrial buildings.
The new Bristile Roofing Design Centre in Port
Macquarie on the New South Wales Mid North
Coast demonstrates that a little imagination
and design flair can lift an otherwise
conventional development out of the ordinary.
The key point-of-difference is the use of black
terracotta roof tiles as an external wall
cladding.At first glance this three-unit building
is clad in black painted steel sheeting, an
unusual colour for an industrial building, but
well on trend.
And then the unexpected, as the eye picks up
the black roof tiles used as wall cladding,
complementing the black tiled awning roofs.
Upon further inspection, a further subtle
difference is revealed, with the wall tiles being
laid in a stack bond so the vertical and
horizontal lines are continuous.This is in
contrast to the awning roof tiles that are laid in
a conventional crossbond pattern, similar to
the stretcher bond used in brickwork.
Horizontal sunshades protecting both levels
are finished in vibrant orange, a slightly more
intense version of the orange of the Bristile
Roofing logo.
The walls and awning roofs of all three units
are tiled with Planum terracotta roof tiles, a
shingle-like tile from La Escandella Ceramica
in Spain, and distributed exclusively in Australia
by Bristile Roofing.As well as its flat profile,
again on trend, the tile colour, Caviar, is
distinguished by a semi-gloss finish.
This combination of colour, profile and glaze is
only available in the La Escandella Ceramica
Planum Caviar roof tile.
The wall tiling construction was surprisingly
straightforward. Conventional battens are fixed
horizontally to the underlying structure and
each tile positioned by a single screw and two
batten lugs.The corner and window flashings
were custom made in black steel.
All La Escandella Ceramica terracotta roof
tiles carry Bristile Roofing’s exclusive Colour for
Life warranty, guaranteeing against fading or
colour change for the life of the product.As
the painted finish of the black steel inevitably
fades, the La Escandella Ceramica Planum
Caviar terracotta roof tiles are guaranteed to
retain their pristine finish.
The Bristile Roofing Port Macquarie Design
Centre was one of five finalists in the 2014 Roof
Tile Excellence Awards, part of the Think Brick
Awards.The Award winner, the uniquely-
named A House with Tiles on It, also used
vertical tiles.
Finally, page 84 of this issue of
design
mag
features the Kostala House in Athens which
makes spectacular use of vertical tiling. Be
sure to check out the design detail drawings.
Three distinctive buildings each part-clad with
roof tiles. Do we sense a trend?
Roof Tile
Excellence Awards
Finalist