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Timber Construction
2016 ¥ 2 ∂
Letting wood breathe
Timber extension flows from house to garden
DuPont™ Tyvek® UV Facade advanced breather membrane has been used on a residential extension clad with western red cedar. The new structure is a two-storey contemporary addition to a period coach house in Long Ashton, Bristol and is a selfbuild project designed to give the owners increased living space for their growing family. The breather membrane has been installed directly behind the timber cladding and entirely wraps the structure, including the pitched roof.
Tate Harmer, a practice specialising in timber technology construction, has designed an extension to a family home in west London, using exposed timber throughout from the floorboards to the structural overhead beams. The geometric, semi-arched profile is carried through, creating an arcaded effect, and the arches lead on to a cantilevered covered patio space.
It is designed to offer greater freedom and confidence when designing ventilated facades and is claimed to reliably protect against wind, water, interstitial condensation and air leakage, whilst being resistant to UV damage and offering an entirely black finish. The membrane bears the CE mark in accordance with EN 13859-2 and rigorous testing has shown that it can withstand UV exposure for a significant length of time, says the company. Excellent thermal efficiency and airtightness were crucial factors in this environmentally conscious project, which has been built using the fully insulating Kingspan Tek SIPS system and which also features air-source heat pumps and triple-glazed panels. Garry Dyke, director of Point1 Building Systems, explained, “The cladding was not continuous and therefore we needed a completely black, waterproof and UV-resistant breather membrane that would not be seen. We positioned counter battens vertically up and horizontally across the roof slope to accept the 44 ≈ 18 mm western red cedar cladding. We then laid battens over counter battens, also stained black in order to match the membrane.” ¥ DuPont Tyvek United Kingdom � +44 (0)1275 337660 www.tyvek.co.uk
The 45 ° pitch roof was a design feature driven by a local planning bylaw. The exposed structural wooden beams have been made into an integral part of the design of the living space: rooflights slot between the beams at regular intervals whilst the beams themselves extend into bookcases, creating seamless built-in cabinetry. The glued laminated timber (glulam) frame was designed and manufactured by Anson Timberworks. Glulam was used for its
weight-to-strength ratio, but also brings warmth to the project. The flooring is of engineered hardwood from the Natural Wood Floor Company, which adds a subtle variation in tone to the overhead structures, and underfloor heating has been installed below this. A darker stain is used to accentuate the end doors and to frame the windows. The walls of the extension have been kept white to offset the timber and the kitchen units incorporate primary colours including red and blue into the scheme. ¥ Anson Timberworks United Kingdom � +44 (0)1359 271392 www.ansontimberworks.co.uk ¥ Natural Wood Floor Company United Kingdom � +44 (0)20 8871 9771 www.naturalwoodfloor.co.uk