Cembrit Cembonit cladding has created a stylish finish for a new student accommodation in Liverpool. The Arch, which houses students from John Moores University, combines both traditional and modern exteriors, with the new building situated behind an original 19thCentury façade.

The Arch, formally a hotel building, opened to students in September 2014, providing 241 spacious student rooms in a combination of shared flats and studio apartments with all the modcons one would expect of city living – en-suite bathrooms, top of the range furnishings and free Wi-Fi throughout. Leading distributor of high performance cladding, FGF Limited, supplied the Cembonit cladding for the project. Approximately 500m² of Cembonit Flint cladding was installed as feature panels and window surrounds as part of the building’s re-design to create an attractive appearance of natural stone.

“The final appearance of the building was very important on this project,” explains Peter Clarke of FGF Manchester. “It is always a difficult task when you have to combine new materials with an old façade, and make it look natural. Having worked with Cembrit previously, we were confident that the Cembonit range would best suit the project. The end result is a modern, yet natural-looking finish.”

Cembonit is an autoclaved, through coloured board in 11 pastel coloured impact resistant boards characterised by an attractive matt finish and a faint directional grain. During the production process, Cembonit undergoes a unique impregnation treatment, which effectively protects against water staining and dirt, ensuring that the façade retains its attractive appearance in both dry and wet weather conditions.

The combination of colour stability with a class 0 fibre rating to BS 476 part 6 and a class 1 rating to BS 476 part 7 makes Cembonit ideal for overcladding rainscreen applications. Randomly dispersed spherules of cement in Cembonit's surface and variations of shade from sheet to sheet will assist in creating a natural looking façade. The sheets can be used for a range of applications, such as: rainscreen cladding, weatherboarding, window elements, fascia, balconies and prefabricated facade elements.

Cembonit achieves first class finish

Company news - news from other companies

Company news - companies

Sign up to receive the free BUILDING DESIGN bulletin