Newton Road

Product Used: Shire

Colour: Priory

Description:

A traditional taste of Massachusetts is brought back for the owner of a Cambridge new build, with Keymer's handmade clay tiles adorning the vast roof and gables.

The symmetrical, timber framed saltbox styled house, so well known throughout parts of colonial USA, features an unmissable natural red lustre thanks to the many thousands of Keymer's handmade Shire tile range.

As is traditional with the saltbox design, one side of the build's roof is greatly elongated, making part of the house just one storey high. Being of such size, it was imperative to make sure that the roof featured nothing but the richest aesthetic compliment - this being handmade clay tiles.

Ensuring that both the roof and gables were displayed at their best, the full colour range of Keymer's clay tiles were used - being Priory, Heritage and Downs Red. Creating the right blend meant that the entire house was delivered with a natural beauty that far outshines the use of a single, uniformed shade.

Local Planners, however, were keen to keep the house as sustainable as possible. This being so, Keymer's tiles were an obvious choice, as the entire traditional process of their fabrication is highly environmentally friendly.

All clay is sustainably sourced at Keymer's factory. Plus, being handmade, their production requires far less machinery, and therefore emissions, than modern, machine-made tiles.

This meant the architect could specify such a quantity of handmade clay tiles, safe in the knowledge of their green credentials, helping to maintain the site's sustainable targets.

Overall, the project's energy efficiency managed to exceed building regulations by 15% - partly owing to sustainable materials and solar power.

To allow the solar panels fitted to the roof to harvest the maximum light, the largest section of the roof had to face south, meaning the gable became street-facing. Due to this, the gable's appearance had to be of the highest standards, hence the use of clay tiles throughout the expanse of both sides.

For the owner, the outcome is perfectly retrospective of the tradition they left behind in Massachusetts. The vibrant red patina of the handmade clay tiles gives the whole structure a genuinely astounding look - one that is unsurpassed by today's modern made attempts.