Designing Timber issue 10 for online - Flipbook - Page 55
Making the most of
each sleeper
The boards are 昀椀xed to
hardwood battens on an
aluminium helping-hand
system, 昀椀xed to the CLT.
Colin looked at optimizing the
use of each sleeper. They are
chunky blocks, and it became
clear that if the faces were cut
o昀昀 then each sleeper could
go further. Wider boards were
used in some areas of the
façade; and the thinner o昀昀cuts
were used in others. There is
also a pleasing contrast in
colour to the sections that
used the virgin timber from the
middle of the sleepers.
“If you look closely, you can
see the tripartite holes where
metal ties previously held the
sleepers in place,” Matt says.
“Before the sawmill cut the
timbers down to size, they
checked the holes for any
remaining metal. Quite often
there were bits of the threads
from the bolts stuck in them,
or occasionally half a bolt or
two left in there. Obviously,
the sawmill didn’t want to ruin
its blades.”
A lived-in look
“The cladding subcontractor
was conscientious and
enthusiastic. They would
take me around every every
week, and we’d reject a small
minority of the timbers if any
had rotten parts in them. But
minor, super昀椀cial damage –
the occasional dent, a little
spray paint on some of them
– was acceptable.”
“The marks from its former
life add character. You can
↓
Roundhouse Works
provides an essential
creative outlet and
stepping stone for
young people in
north London.
DESIGNING TIMBER
55
NOV/DEC 2025
tell which were the bottom and
which the top of the sleepers:
the underside ones have a few
dents from where they sat on
the stone chipping; the top ones
are smooth and have a few rust
patches from the plates for the
railway track.”
Traditional timber cladding will
naturally weather into a silvery
grey over time. The project
completed in June 2023, and
it’s interesting to note that most
of the cladding has stayed the
same colour as it when it 昀椀rst
went up – apart from the virgin
timber from the inside of the
sleepers.
“The cladding section that
used that particular wood was
originally a rich orange-pink
colour. As we knew that that
section would change colour
we applied SiOO:X, a product
UNDERSTANDING
———— WAKING UP OLD RAILWAY SLEEPERS: THE ROUNDHOUSE WORKS ————
