Guttercrest curved coping and cills on award-winning home

Named Incurvo, the 510m² new build in the Oxfordshire countryside is an award-winning design by architects Adrian James. Using the local luminous orange brick, the house incorporates a series of curved window frames, providing focal points from inside the house and offering panoramic views of the garden, water, trees and landscape beyond.

The property replaced a 1920s home, which was not fit for purpose according to its owners, having numerous small rooms and being inefficient to heat and light. The unique shape challenges the current modernist trend for stacked, rectangular shapes.

Designed to Lifetime Homes and Passivhaus standards, the materials used on the project include high levels of airtightness and insulation. The property also has three separate renewable energy systems. The owners wanted a ‘lifetime home’ and building materials were chosen that would age gracefully with no need for further maintenance.

Surrounding the property and covering its parapet walls is over 100 metres of Ali-Fabs’ aluminium coping, featuring an impressive ten different radii on the flat roof, terraces, balconies and garage. Coping was manufactured from 3mm thick aluminium and polyester powder coated in a protective RAL 7016 anthracite grey to blend with the wall cladding and provide a striking contrast to the orange brick work.

Manufactured in Shropshire from marine grade aluminium, each section of coping was supplied with a part number for location and varies in width from 500mm to 640mm. Curved lengths were supplied in one-metre sections, providing a true curve, and straight lengths in three-metre sections.

Ali-Fabs coping has a weather struck top, but can be made flat or dual pitched. As well as being low maintenance, they’re lightweight, adaptable and easy to install.

In addition to the coping system, Ali-Fabs also designed, manufactured and supplied bespoke faceted curved cill flashing for the window areas and drip flashing on parapet walls. Window flashings measured 3mm thick and 150mm width, while brick flashing measured 300mm width. The flashings are also available as true curves.

Daniel Catlin of Guttercare, who were responsible for ordering and fitting the aluminium building products said the biggest challenge they faced was to get the curve looking consistent around the edge of the property. “I plotted a template from the architect drawings and tried that on site and made any adjustments needed. I then supplied my drawings to Ali-Fabs for manufacture. Their wall coping system is ideally suited for curved buildings and we have a good working relationship with them, so it’s easy to liaise through the manufacturing process and the scheduling of deliveries to site. The copings were easy to fit, simply hook it on to the bracket and fix through the back. The one metre curved lengths are fanned so the joints all line up nicely.

“Incurvo was a technical challenge, but the end result was well worth all of the effort. We’re very pleased with it. We would recommend Ali-Fabs products and we continue to work with them.”

Ben Power at Ali-Fabs, said: “This was a unique project that we were delighted to be involved in. Every aspect of the building’s design and construction shows quality, style and sustainability and our coping and cill flashings have been integrated seamlessly into this. We thrive on technical designs like this one. From specification by the architect to working with installers, we provide a clear pathway from initial enquiry through the design process and ordering to bespoke manufacture and delivery direct to site.”

Winner of the RIBA South Award 2017 and RIBA South Sustainability Award, the jury noted that the homeowners were commissioners of quality design. There was a clear rationale for the qualities the clients wanted to achieve, including making allowances for alterations in the future so they don’t have to move (Lifetime homes; space for lift and wide door openings).

Aluminium rainwater goods are a popular choice for sustainable developments such as Incurvo, thanks to its abundancy in nature and being 100% recyclable. Ali-Fabs play an important role in reducing the carbon footprint of building projects. With a life expectancy of over 60 years this greatly enhances the whole of life embodied energy figure relative to materials with a shorter lifespan. 90% of the aluminium used in manufacturing by Ali-Fabs comes from recycled sources.

A huge range of BS and RAL colours and finishes, such as stone effect are available. Products are specified to suit all domestic, commercial and industrial development and are backed by a team of experts.

Ali-Fabs’ experienced technical sales team is committed to providing architects, merchants, developers and installers with up-to-date advice relating to roof drainage flow calculations, BIM data and CAD drawings to aid design and construction.