Eternit Slates Stike Third Time Lucky

Eternit Building Materials' slates proved third time lucky for architect Huw Griffiths and developers the Walters Group.

Redeveloping a former children's home in Catherine Zeta-Jones' home town of Mumbles with Eternit Building Materials' slates proved third time lucky for architect Huw Griffiths and developers the Walters Group.

Huw Griffiths was the third architect to be introduced to the land and was eventually briefed by the Walters Group to design houses on the site just 50 yards from the promenade of the affluent Swansea suburb and near to the prestigious Bristol Channel Yacht Club.

Other designs had failed to get planning permission but Huw Griffiths' use of Eternit's E3000 fibre cement slates to cap a reduced density of 11 luxury homes had the application sailing through.

Eternit's E3000 slates, which combine a dressed edge with a smooth, semi-matt surface, were fixed by M Camilleri and Sons Roofing Limited in Blue/Black on all the roofs at Ynys Y Plant, which means "Island of Children", on Bethany Lane, Mumbles.

The Walters Group spent over a year transforming the vacant site (the children's home was closed about ten years ago and demolished five years later) into a prestige blend of three-storey, four-bedroomed properties.

Six townhouses designed with solid concrete floors and cross walls at all levels to aid acoustic insulation, face the promenade.

The conical towers of the two end houses reflect a conical tower at the nearby Bristol Channel Yacht Club that was built in 1910.

The master bedrooms in these end houses have also been designed with vaulted ceilings and to allow the residents to enjoy the sea view from their bed.

Behind the six townhouses fronting the seashore is a cul de sac with four, individually-designed detached houses and one other dwelling at the head of the cul de sac.

These sold off plan for between £225,000 and £450,000 and have since doubled in price.

Huw Griffiths said the height of the buildings was restricted at planning stage so they had designed specifically to maximise the potential of the site, with a combination of traditional cut roofs and attic trusses to allow for accommodation in the roof void areas of all the houses.

Because the two previous applications had failed, the Walters Group focussed on a "low-density, quality" development, reducing the number of properties over the previous applications that failed.

The architects frequently specify Eternit slates.

"The E3000 range was selected this time for its ability to achieve the look we were trying to attain, at an economic price," said Huw Griffiths.

The design of the roofs incorporates roof lights, hips, traditional dormers and arched dormers.

"We like to design our buildings with a strong plinth and a steeply pitched roof with deep overhangs so the roof forms a strong lid.

We included the conical towers in the townhouses because we wanted to make a bold statement and the end result is that they are all extremely popular with residents and public alike," he said.

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