One of Maple’s most sustainable projects has been short-listed for a British Construction Industry award.
The Welcome Building at RHS Garden Bridgewater is in the running for Culture & Leisure Project of the Year at the awards in October.
The striking building, which opened to the public in May, has a timber roof and large areas of glass to provide views over the 63-hectare gardens. But with glass comes the risk of glare and solar gain, so Maple’s role was to provide a technically advanced brise soleil system to make the centre more comfortable for visitors.
We used vertical and horizontal spans of Siberian larch from our Strata range to provide shade during the brightest and hottest part of the day – then protected the blades themselves with a UV-resistant wood stain to prevent discoloration.
The collaboration between Hodder & Partners architects, BAM Construct UK and Maple is already a winner after being named Project of the Year at the 2020 Structural Timber Awards.
“Timber was a central part of the architect’s vision,” said Maple’s Project Director, Jay McGrath, “so working with them on a brise soleil system that would complement the award-winning roof was an important part of our role.
“The choice of timber demonstrated the client’s commitment to sustainability, but we also had to consider cost, fire retardancy, strength and weatherability in our design.”
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