Exploration into Materials

The seaside shelters across the country have been dictated by the popular materials at the time of production and installation and their potential longevity within their seaside locations – for example iron for those constructed in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s and concrete for those in the post war era. In current times, material choices are vast and technological improvements mean contemporary shelters can be constructed from many different materials. The true test of course, is the test of time. Many of the historic shelters still exist in a reasonable condition, but very few would still be standing without regular maintenance regardless of materials. Some of the contemporary materials found in the newer shelters can be seen in one of the competition winners; the Bexhill on Sea winning shelter used Kebony Wood – the wood has been tested in particularly difficult Norwegian climates for its stability and has thus been installed in several coastal summerhouses and mountain builds. Through an environmentally-friendly process of ‘Kebonization’ the wood is impregnated with a patented mixture, which reacts with the wood fibres and permanently strengthens the wood. (https://kebony.com/).

New shelters in Dover (which have not yet been explored as part of this blog) used Rheinzink pre-weathered, blue-grey zinc cladding for the leaf-shaped roofs.

Some Local Authorities such as North-Ayrshire produce guidance documents such as their Coastal Design Guidance that provides recommendations for suitable materials both in terms of coastal environments as well as what they would consider appropriate to the local area.

Rheinzink roofs on Dover shelters

https://www.buildingdesignindex.co.uk/entry/111429/RHEINZINK/Zinc-roof-cladding-for-seaside-shelters-Dover/