Industry News Scotland

Cinema gets Northern exposure

Cinema gets northern, Lerwick, Shetland,

EQUITONE architectural fibre cement materials from Marley Eternit have been used to create a striking facade on the UK’s most northerly cinema and music venue.

Marley Eternit’s EQUITONE [natura] was specified by Gareth Hoskins Architects for the £12.4m ‘Mareel’ building in Lerwick, Shetland, which has recently been awarded both RIAS Regional and RIBA National Awards.

Gareth Hoskins of Gareth Hoskins Architects said:

“We specified a Marley Eternit fibre cement facade principally because of its proven robustness, an essential requirement in this exceptionally exposed, northerly location. The material also gives an excellent uniformity of colour and sharp finish to the facades it adorns, providing a striking contrast with the more rugged nature of the other building elements and setting Mareel apart from the surrounding industrial sheds around the harbour.”

Taking inspiration from the building’s location on the edge of Lerwick’s historic Hay’s Dock, Gareth Hoskins Architects chose Anthracite coloured EQUITONE [natura] because of its combination of toughness, texture and appealing colour.

Robustness of the facade materials was an overriding factor on this project because Lerwick shares the same latitude as Alaska to the West and Norway to the East, and regularly experiences gusts of wind over 70 miles per hour.

As well as it physical robustness, EQUITONE [natura] was chosen for Mareel because the fibre cement material echoed the simple, robust forms that are typical of the nearby fishing industry buildings. The aesthetics of the fibre cement panels also complemented the other elements specified for the facade of the Mareel building.

The client on this project was Shetland Arts Development Agency. Main contractor was DITT Construction Ltd.

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