December 18

A PIONEERING Cornwall school has a revolutionary new roof, made from recycled tyres.

The £400,000 timber-framed Bishop Cornwall Education Centre in Saltash is being sustainably built, using straw bales, wool and featuring air source heating and rainwater harvesting.

It has been roofed this week, with 1,899  tiles donated and manufactured from recycled tyre rubber, by Plymouth-based Crumb Rubber.

The tiles were developed as part of the company’s funded research into potential uses for the granules it manufactures from old tyres.

“For the roofers, the tiles are exactly like slate, in terms of application,” said Patrick Dormon, Crumb’s managing director.

“On the school project, the contractor seemed very happy with them, as they are very light to carry and won’t shatter if dropped.”

With rubber’s natural insulation properties, the tiles, which have been compounded with fire retardant  and have BBA fire certification, look very similar to slate.

Crumb is now  assessing their commercial potential within the construction industry.
With the tiles far more pliable than traditional roofing materials, there may also be export potential to countries such as the US, where ferocious hailstorms and rain can damage brittle building fabric.

“The quality of the roof is good and it looks very good,” said Mr Dormon. “We still need to apply a significant volume of research before it becomes commercially viable, but hope to be able to catch the crest of the wave with it, when the rest of the industry recovers from the crash.”

Other local companies including May Gurney and composite engineers Multimarine  have also contributed to the fabric and building of the charitably-run centre in the grounds of Bishop Cornish School, which will provide pre-school care, education and out-of-hours provision for school-aged children.

Bodmin designers  ARCO2 are behind the project, which is being constructed by building contractors Shaun Bunney, also of Bodmin. 

The centre, due to open in April next year, will also feature a flat roof  topped off by a living carpet of sedums, planted by volunteers from HMS Raleigh.