Overview

HEAVY 3 roof slates were used in the refurbishment of the new Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands. The original hotel opened its doors in 1755 and is thought to be one of Scotland’s oldest inns.

HEAVY 3 slate was chosen to deliver the traditional look of Scottish slate and to integrate the building to its surroundings.

Standing on the banks of the River Etive, the hotel has views of the spectacular 3,345ft-high Buachaille Etive Mòr mountain, one of the most photographed views in the area making the inn very popular among rock climbers.

As the area was becoming increasingly popular, plans were made to redevelop the hotel, which hadn’t been redecorated since the 1960s. The £12m redevelopment was designed by Covell Matthews Architects and built by Douglas & Stewart Construction. It involved the building of a new 57-room hotel and the restoration of the original 18th century Kingshouse Inn building, renamed ‘The Way Inn’.

Challenge

The history, location and surroundings all had to be considered during the design process. To ensure it was in keeping with the original style, the key challenge was the search for a natural slate that could replicate the traditional, but no longer available Scottish slate.

Solution

The designers selected the dark grey, 7-8mm HEAVY 3 slates from CUPA PIZARRAS as they closely replicated the colour and thickness of the original Ballachulish slate that was used on the original roof but is no longer produced.

With the intention of reflecting the shape of the local landscape, the roof is a series of irregular pitches that totals approximately 1800m2 and HEAVY 3 slates in 500 x 250mm tiles were installed across the entire roof by the team of contractors.

“The distinctive design draws its references from the environment following the surrounding mountains to generate its roof profile”, explains Catherine Cope, an Associate at Covell Matthews Architects.

The slate concept was also continued into the cladding as 350m2 of HEAVY 3 slate in 400 x 250mm tiles were used for the east and west elevations – aligned with the views towards the mountains.

“It was also important that the new slate utilized for the pitched roof matched that of the historic Kings House as closely as possible to create a strong sense of visual connection across the site. We had specified CUPA Heavy 3 on previous projects where we needed a replacement for traditional local slate and knew it would provide the look we wanted”, assures the architect.

Timeframe

The other hurdle was the timing; as the hotel had to be reopened in time for the peak-tourist season, there was a tight deadline, but thanks to the expert knowledge of the whole team, this was achieved.

Testimonial

“It was crucial that delays were avoided wherever possible. The CUPA PIZARRAS slates were delivered to site when we needed them and having worked with the product before, our team had no issues installing the roofing and cladding in the timeframe required.”
– Andy McNair, Douglas & Stewart Construction