CPD Specifier May 2015 issue January 2015 | Page 47

Outdoor Engineering

Waitrose discovers the wonders of Bituchem’s Natratex
Waitrose has used Bituchem’s Natratex Cotswold product to provide the
surfacing for the car park at its Malmesbury store in Wiltshire. Applied to
over 3000sqm of the supermarket’s parking space, Natratex Cotswold is a
durable surface course that has a distinctive natural looking finish.
After studying numerous samples, Simons Construction specified 6mm
Natratex Cotswold to be laid by experienced hard landscapers Thornbury
Surfacing. Bituchem’s Natratex Cotswold has a fast and simple application
that allows for easy and clear demarcation making it an easy specification
for private and public sector projects such as car parks, highways,
footpaths and cycle lanes.
The Waitrose store in Malmesbury had originally been specified with resin
bonded surfacing, however, concerns were raised over the durability of
the product and whether it could withstand the high level of traffic. After
some Bituchem samples were studied, it was decided that the Natratex
Cotswold material was the most suitable for the car park surfacing due
to its specially developed binder providing resilient and robust qualities.
Laid at 30mm thick across the car parking areas, the Natratex Cotswold
material provides an aesthetically pleasing finish that allows for clear
demarcation of various zones to enhance the safety of the customers.
The Natratex Cotswold product has been developed using a specially
formulated clear binder and decorative aggregate that when combined
provides a hardwearing surfacing material while offering an attractive
natural stone finish. The mechanics and functionality of Natratex Cotswold
is similar to traditional asphalt as it is laid and compacted at the same
nominal thickness, using conventional equipment.
Wide range of natural coloured aggregates are available to suit any
colour scheme to complement or contrast with the landscape. Ideal for
architects and engineers looking for a natural finish hard landscaping
product, Natratex Cotswold has proved popular in heritage projects where
colour schemes have to reflect the character and period of the existing
architecture.

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READER ENQUIRY NO: 30

Reading Uni revamps
campus with Bituchem
Reading University is benefiting from Bituchem’s Natratex Cotswold
hard landscaping material as part of a £276 million investment into the
University’s student accommodation.
Natratex Cotswold was used across 2600sq.m of the Whiteknights
campus to provide an aesthetically pleasing and durable pedestrian area
that complemented the designs of the existing and new halls.
The development increases the number of student rooms to 4,950 and
has been awarded BREEAM excellent status due to environmentally
sustainable features such as roof top solar panels, energy efficient
boilers and heat recovery ventilation systems. Bituchem’s Natratex
Cotswold product echoes the development’s sustainable ethics being
environmentally friendly and extremely long lasting.
Bituchem’s Natratex Cotswold product in brown was specified by UPP,
University Partnerships Programme, having been previously successfully
used in a similar project at Exeter University. The fully bonded aggregate
proved a durable and robust option while ensuring the aesthetics of the
development are maintained through natural looking finishes in a variety
of colours.
The Natratex Cotswold product has been developed using natural
coloured aggregates that are fully bonded using a clear binder that
ensures strength and durability while retaining the pleasant colour of
the stones. Its suitability for both pedestrian and vehicle use makes it a
great surfac