The search for the UK’s most spectacular clay tile roofs has culminated in a lavish awards ceremony at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, where finalists and winners were honoured in the Clay Roofing Awards 2008 for the very high quality of their work.

Introduced in 2002, the biennial event, organised by the Clay Roof Tile Council (CRTC), has quickly become an important fixture in the building industry’s calendar. It is the only competition dedicated to celebrating exceptional clay tile roofs by recognising projects that demonstrate the very best in design, workmanship and technical achievement.

Roofing contractors, architects, builders and homeowners were amongst those encouraged to submit projects topped with clay roofing materials, with a wide variety of schemes entered into the competition, sponsored by SIG Roofing Supplies Group.

Winners of the Clay Roofing Awards 2008 were announced by Chairman of the judging panel and Chief Executive of the British Ceramic Federation, Kevin Farrell, in the following six categories:

* Housing (Best New-Build) – Orchard Dean, Alresford, Hampshire - a lovely, small development with creative roof work that is extremely well executed.

* Housing (Best Refurbishment) – Grade 1 Mansion, Surrey – a complex and technically demanding re-roofing of a stunning country house using locally manufactured, handmade clay tiles.

* Commercial (Best New-Build) – Charlton Farm Children’s Hospice – a derelict farm now a sanctuary for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families, which is an excellent example of a new build project in harmony with existing buildings.

* Commercial (Best Refurbishment) – Reform Club, Pall Mall, London – a stunning re-roofing of a Grade 1 listed building originally designed by architect Sir Charles Barry, his most famous commission being the Houses of Parliament.

* Ecclesiastical – Holy Trinity Church, Blendworth, Hampshire – an inspiring and beautifully crafted renovation of a church spire in a conservation area.

* Housing (Best Self-Build) – Lakewood House, Fordingbridge, Hampshire - an ambitious self –build project designed to maximise its lakeside views thereby creating an unusual roofscape.

A special award was also made to Oxford-based Adrian James Architects for marrying traditional clay roof tiles with ultra-modern house design, demonstrating perfectly how leading modern architecture can make use of more traditional building materials to deliver stunning, contemporary projects. Adrian had two projects in the competition – self-build commendation Muswell House and Cumnor Hill, which was commended in the Housing (Best New-Build) category.

Kevin Farrell said: “When the Clay Roof Tile Council held the inaugural Clay Roofing Awards in 2002, I don’t believe it realised quite what an industry tradition it was starting. In just six years the awards have grown to become the focal point for an industry that has seen a resurgence in the drive to design, specify and build all manner of buildings with high quality, natural products, beautifully equipped to stand the test of time. Indeed, one of the refurbishment projects shortlisted in the awards was found to have 600-year-old clay plain tiles on its roof, some of which were re-used during the repair works. What better testament to performance!

“The awards really showcase all that is best about clay roof tiles, promoting their versatility, durability and sheer good looks, while at the same time recognising innovative uses of the product. And the Clay Roofing Awards 2008 have certainly not disappointed. As chairman of the judging panel I have had the great pleasure of over-seeing the entries that, once again, have delighted us in terms of numbers, quality and variety. Entries have poured in from architects, roofing contractors, tile manufacturers and home-owners, all keen to show off their individual projects.

“This year has been especially pleasing given the breadth of different types of schemes, ranging from barn conversions to hospital redevelopments, historic building refurbishments and futuristic new homes. Each project is linked by the desire – and in most cases passion – to use the most appropriate and best performing roof covering. For the vast majority of entries, clay was the only material that ticked both of those boxes.


“There simply is no other roofing material that would have delivered the impressive visual impact of these entries, yet alone coped with planning requirements and the desire to reflect the local vernacular.

“The specification of clay roof tiles also seems to inspire roofing contractors….the level of workmanship on many of our shortlisted projects is nothing short of amazing, with contractors demonstrating their ability to work at an incredibly high level, translating the aspirations of the architect and client into stunning working roofs. This all goes to underline how much of a team effort each and every shortlisted project is. I congratulate all involved. And long may it continue!”

Winning/commended projects:

Housing – Best New-Build Clay Roof category

Winner:

Orchard Dean, Alresford, Hampshire. A small but perfectly formed development. Planners have worked hard to retain the character of the town and therefore new build is subject to close scrutiny. To ensure the scheme was not a ‘long tunnel’, the architect curved the roofline of the outer houses around the site, using a conical roof over a circular house as a natural pivot and incorporating ‘stepped back’ roofs, tile hanging, Winchester cuts and roofs at different levels to create interest. The end result is a lovely scheme that is, no doubt, a pleasure to live in.

Developer: Archstone Lifestyle Homes, Pullman Business Park, Pullman Way, Ringwood, Hants, BH24 1HD

Clay tiles: Keymer Traditional Elizabethan on the roof. Traditional Wealden Red on verticals.

Commended:

88 Cumnor Hill, Oxford. A contemporary apartment block. The curved roof was specified with a metal roof, but this was rejected by planners, who went on to applaud its ‘design standard’ when re-specified with clay tiles. This project demonstrates how modern architecture sits comfortably with traditional building materials. This roof is also technically accomplished – the plain tile covering is decorative where the pitch falls below 35° towards the apex.

Architect: Adrian James Architects, Oxford

Roofing contractor: Rycote Developments

Clay tiles: 8,450 Dreadnought Staffordshire Blue Smoothfaced

Housing – Best Refurbishment Clay Roof category

Winner:

Grade 1 Mansion, Surrey. The roof of this stunning, early 17th century house was replaced with handmade clay tiles manufactured within an hour’s drive of the property. It was a complex re-roofing contract and much of the technical detail and design specification was done as a work in progress, demanding strong technical and product knowledge from the roofing contractors. The project was completed to a tight deadline, especially so given that work had to stop when the property’s high profile (anonymous) owner decided to visit.

Roofing contractor: Karl Terry Roofing Contractors Ltd, Wittersham, Tenterden, Kent.

Clay tiles: Keymer Traditional Elizabethan handmade clay tiles

Commended:

Ellerdale Road, Hampstead, London. Re-roofing this unusual listed building took an unexpected turn when the roofer discovered the full extent of its decorative pattern on the unweathered part of the roof tiles. It was necessary to map and replicate the geometric pattern. This was no easy task, with daily measuring and checking the only way to ensure the pattern was correct and consistent across all roof pitches. The finished result is a well-executed example of a beautiful Victorian patterned and banded roof that is not intended to fit in with its neighbours.

Client: Camden Council

Architect/contractor: Newland Construction

Roofing contractor: Dontel Roofing Contractors

Clay tiles: Sandtoft Humber tiles

Commercial – Best New-Build Clay Roof category

Winner:

Charlton Farm Children’s Hospice. From a derelict farm, Children’s Hospice South-West has developed an £8million sanctuary for children, with life-limiting conditions, and their families. Much of the project involved refurbishing old farm buildings but part of the project is new-build. Judges commended the project for blending the new-build elements well with the existing and very traditional farm buildings without compromising the original architectural integrity of the site. The high quality of the work was also noted.

Architect: Lacey Hickie Caley Architects

Contractor: Cowlin Construction Ltd

Roofing Contractor: M Camilleri & Sons Roofing Ltd

Clay tiles: Sandtoft Gaelic single roman clay tile, Humber plain tile with ornamental banding.

Commercial – Best Refurbishment Clay Roof category

Winner:

Reform Club, Pall Mall, London. This superb Grade 1 Listed private members’ club was designed by architect Sir Charles Barry in 1841, his most famous commission being the Houses of Parliament. Three years ago the club’s patent slating roof was leaking. Architects considered various options, but the answer came in one of the club’s paintings, which showed Barry had originally modelled the roof on the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. With questions over the frost resistance of Italian terracotta tiles, the architect succeeded in finding a British manufacturer to make more than 14,500 clay tiles. The finished roof is not only dazzling, but a great work of art.

Architect: Paul Vonberg Architects

Contractor: Allenbuild Ltd

Roofing Contractor: T&P Lead Roofing Ltd

Clay tiles: Sandtoft bespoke Tegula and Imbrex tiles with axonometric ridge & hip fittings

Commended:

Woodhill Primary School, Greenwich, London. The school is an imposing, late Victorian Grade ll Listed building. The re-roofing project posed a number of challenges. For example, it had to be all but completed during school holidays and the roof itself features turrets and dormers, both of which called for careful detailing and cutting of the plain clay tiles. Judges were pleased to see a high quality school retained and protected under a new roof rather than replaced with a modern building, and praised the scheme’s well-executed detailing, particularly the central cupola.

Client: London Borough of Greenwich

Roofing contractor: Apollo Group, Waltham Abbey

Clay tiles: Redland Rosemary Red clay plain tiles

Best Ecclesiastical Clay Roof

Winner:

Holy Trinity Church, Blendworth, Hampshire. The re-roofing of the spire of this pretty church, in a quintessentially English conservation area, is a beautiful and inspiring project. It was not a massive scheme, but entailed some tricky detailing, notably because it is a broach spire with steep gablets, and called for good contact between the tile manufacturer, architect and roofing contractor. The work also had a lovely finishing touch – church vicar, the Rev Rosemary Donald, laid her own specially crafted tile to mark the end of the repairs.

Client: Parochial Church Council, Holy Trinity Church

Architect: The Hunt Partnership

Roofing Contractor: Skyline Roofing (Kingston) Ltd

Clay tiles: Sandtoft Goxhill handmade plain tile in Autumn Brown.

Commended:

Downside Abbey, Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Bath. A spectacular Roman Catholic monastery near Bath that is home to a community of Benedictine monks and an independent boarding school. The abbey enjoys a position elevated over surrounding countryside and is therefore a visible landmark for miles around. The challenge on this re-roofing project was the need for the ‘like for like’ replacement of original single cambered Broseley plain clay tiles from Shropshire. The new roof is a beautiful and eye-catching feature, with plenty of interesting details.

Architect: Beech Tyldesley Architects, Cathedral Green, Wells

Main contractor/builder: TR Morgan (Wells) Ltd

Clay tiles: 1,000 Dreadnought Country Brown Smoothfaced

Commended:

St John the Evangelist, East Dulwich, London. From an English country garden scene to a modern, urban setting presided over by a towering Grade ll Listed church spire. The team on this job had to consider how to strip and re-roof a spire, which is 115ft off the ground at its highest point – the scaffolding alone took two months to erect. Again, the aim was to replace the original clay roof tiles with ‘like for like’ new but traditional materials, mimicking the club and fishtail feature tiles. This project is another great example of close attention to detail – judges noted that the banding was almost too subtle for its own good!

Architect: Thomas Ford & Partners, Sydenham, London/Jonathan Louth Architects, London

Roofing contractor: EJ Roberts

Clay tiles: 7,500 Dreadnought tiles in Plum Red (50% club tiles and 50% fish tail tiles) plus 2,500 tiles in Country Brown (same mix as before)



Best Self-Build Clay Roof

Winner:

Lakewood House, Fordingbridge, Hampshire. Take one lake, two ambitious self-builders, a willing architect and highly competent roofing contractor and what do you get? Lakewood House! This property was designed around one principle – to make the most of views over a lake. The site wasn’t wide enough to allow a linear development to give as many rooms as possible lake views. Therefore the two end ‘wings’ were angled in at 45°, creating an unusual roofscape with a number of changes in direction and pitch. The roofer coped admirably with numerous non-standard hip and valley runs, gables, dormers and porches, helping to create an eye-catching family home.

Self-builders: Paul and Kate Denning

Architect: Richard Sherrin, Ringwood, Hampshire.

Main contractor/builder: South Coast Construction

Roofing contractor: Prestige Roofing

Clay tiles: 3,000 Dreadnought plain clay tiles, 30% Brown Heather and 70% Country Brown, mixed on site to Collingwood Blend

Commended:

Muswell House, Piddington, Oxfordshire. The brief for this unusual and eye-catching property was for an inspirational, sustainable home. The roof is, quite literally, the house, with all the accommodation contained within it. This made the choice of roofing material critical, given that it is the most dominant feature. The clay tiles change from roofing to tile hanging as they march down the slopes. Judges commended it for being a ‘superb example of an innovative use of clay roof tiles’.

Self-builder: Nick Paine

Architect: Adrian James Architects, Oxford

Roofing contractor: Steve Cherry

Clay tiles: Marley Eternit Ashdowne (Wessex Blend)

Clay Roofing Award for Architectural Merit

Winner: Adrian James Architects, Oxford

Judges were impressed by two of the projects shortlisted and wished to recognise the thought and skill that went into them. Therefore they created a specific category: The Clay Roofing Award for Architectural Merit. The winner has designed two eye-catching properties that perfectly marry ultra-modern design with traditional clay tiled roofs.

Email: claytiles@kimbercoms.info