Although not our biggest shake project to date, this case study was worth highlighting as we are seeing shakes being used for a more diverse range of projects.
Stuart Archer and Sarah Braun of Archer and Braun Architects approached us to supply shakes to clad both the roof and walls of a new residential work studio in East London, they wanted the shakes to be finished with a black or dark grey finish.
WL West Timber determined that 40cm European larch shakes were the most suitable product to achieve the aesthetic they were looking for. These are produced in Bavaria by Rapold GmbH and can last up to 55 years under the right conditions. The European larch shakes [40cm] are traditionally hand cleft, radially split with bevelled butts and parallel sawn edges
To comply with fire regulations the shakes were treated with a fire-resistant surface treatment produced by Envirograf, as well as a black coloured top coat to achieve the desired finish. Every piece had to be pre-drilled prior to being fixed to prevent the shakes splitting. The shakes were laid in 3 layers [3ply layup] with a 125mm gauge for a seen exposure.
The result was a building that was naturally beautiful in its simplicity and that blended perfectly with the surrounding environment.
