It’s all in the detail
Copper Bottom’s defining feature (other than its sustainability credentials) is its copper cladding. I talk to the man responsible for cloaking the house; Paul Saunders of Cotswold Metal Roofing.
“It’s very different”
I meet Paul up on the scaffolding as he is creating another fold in the expanse of green cladding. Despite working with metal for over three decades, Paul says he has never worked on anything like this before. “It’s very…” he hesitates “…different.” Luckily Paul means this in a good way. When I ask him about the challenge of Adrian’s origami-esque design, he tells me he enjoys the need to think hard about the details. Although it is nice to lay a straight-forward, flat roof, he likes the challenge of having to work out complex details.
The challenge of the details
I ask him to show me an example and he takes me along the scaffold to a window aperture. He explains that there are four different faces here. Each has details that need to be considered: wall to wall, cill to wall, wall to window head and cill to window head. And all of these are in one relatively small area of the façade. Paul says the lining up is not an issue. This has all been thought through and works with the panel sizes, it’s just about careful measuring. The sharp angles of Adrian’s design are what present the challenge and Paul tells me they are also what he likes the look of most on the house.
The patina brings the distinctive colour
Paul likes the patina, especially en masse, and thinks it is looking better and better the more that goes on. Hamburg, the particular patina here, is more uniform than some, but this can bring challenges too. Clients need to understand that patinas can be affected when the copper is worked. And having bought the supply many months ago from one batch, the room for error is small. Paul and his team need to get the most out of the material they have, ordering more is not really an option.
Will the copper be finished in time for the windows?
Paul thinks they will win the race between the copper and the windows going in. He is looking forward to the scaffold coming down along the front of the house when the, hopefully glorious, façade will be revealed in all its folded, angled and vibrant green glory. So am I.
Read more about why we chose to use copper cladding and its sustainability credentials in Adrian’s love letter to copper.