Located on the Isle of Luing, Scotland, the Atlantic Islands Centre sits on the periphery of an old quarry pond on the site of the Engine House, where Scottish slate used to be mined. The center is a hub for the community where visitors can learn about the history of the area and the surrounding Slate Islands. Architect, Shauna Cameron from Shauna Cameron Architects, required a product that could replicate the aesthetics of Scottish slate roofing for the project.
The original plan was to use second-hand slates reclaimed from buildings in the central belt of Scotland. However, with traditional second-hand Scottish slate now in short supply and reserved to repair slate roofs on existing traditional buildings, new slate was used for this new-build project. The architect had previously used CUPA PIZARRAS slate and was well aware of its high standards of quality and 100-years warranty.
Heavy 3 Slate
Due to the site’s history, the roof needed to reflect the slates that were previously mined there. Therefore, CUPA PIZARRAS’ Heavy 3 slates were specified to match the original blue-grey Luing/Easdale slate that had been used on the Engine House and can still be seen on cottage roofs in the island villages of Cullipool and Toberonochy.
Medium-grained and black-blue in color with occasional quartz grain detectable on the surface, Heavy 3 has an extremely close resemblance to traditional highland slates, which was ideal for a site with such a strong Scottish slate heritage.
Properties
Allan Liddell, Area Sales Manager for Scotland supported the choice of CUPA PIZARRAS’ Heavy 3’s for this project. Stating that not only do they comply with the strict aesthetic requirements that were needed for this project but the slate also fulfills the practical requirements.
The center is extremely close to the coast so it required a natural slate that could endure the high wind speeds and extreme weather conditions that are common throughout Scotland’s islands. The Heavy 3’s are impermeable to weather and extremely thick which makes them extremely tolerable to the Scottish elements.
