John Brash Western Red Cedar Shingles and Shakes have been used on the roof and walls of three luxurious new Treehouses at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest. The two-storey, four bedroom lodges which stand on stilts are due for completion in November and will be ready for guests in January 2011.
The design of the buildings aims to “embrace” the forest and includes a spiral staircase winding round a faux tree turn and details such as floor to ceiling retractable doors, a large outdoor terrace, smoked oak timber walls and oak planked floors.
The Western Red Cedar Shingles and Shakes from John Brash perfectly capture this theme as well as enhancing the appearance of the buildings with the timber’s beautiful natural colouring in mellow ambers, reddish cinnamons and rich browns.
The forest environment is at the very heart of the Center Parcs experience and the Treehouses have been designed to encompass the main elements of the company’s core ethos - accessible luxury, sustainability and creating memorable family moments.
The Treehouses, which will each have their own hot tub, sauna and games room, will be the most sustainable accommodation that Center Parcs has developed to date and each will feature ground source heating, water recycling systems for the hot tubs and ‘A’ rated energy fittings throughout.
The concept and specification was drawn up by the Center Parcs Development team. A spokesman said: “We have specified John Brash’s roofing products in the past on our lodges and apartments and therefore knew it is a really good quality roofing material. The Western Red Cedar Shingles and Shakes were ideal for the Treehouses because they compliment the surrounding colours of the forest. They also meet our sustainability and eco-friendly criteria.”
Western Red Cedar Shakes were specified on the upper elements of the hexagonal tree house walls because, being split from the log, they provide a more rustic appearance compared to the sawn Shingles on the roof.
Mike Hartley, Chairman and Managing Director of John Brash, said: “We are delighted that our products have provided an aesthetically pleasing and sustainable solution for this project, which is important because they will be seen by thousands of visitors to the holiday venue each year.”
Main contractor on the project is Jessops Construction Ltd of Newark who worked in partnership with Blue Forest (UK) Ltd., a sustainable build company with a specialism in tree houses.
Western Red Cedar Shingles and Shakes from John Brash are light and extremely durable, having a minimum 40-year service life, resistance to decay and a high strength to weight ratio that provides flexibility in design.
John Brash has been marketing timber for over 100 years. It is BS EN ISO 9001:2008 accredited and only sources timber from sustainable and well managed forests that have either FSC or PEFC environmental accreditation schemes.
The company supplies a wide range of sustainable timber building solutions including Shingles and Shakes, anti-slip decking, roofing battens and carcassing.