Council approves distinctive roof for Cohen Quad

Exeter has won planning permission for the stunning champagne and bronze tiled roof at Cohen Quad.

On Tuesday evening, the College was delighted to hear that the West Area Planning Committee, on behalf of Oxford City Council, approved the final material for the Cohen Quad roof at their review meeting.

Although planning permission for the shape of the roof and a metal tiling scheme was approved as part of the original planning consent, the College, led by Gez Wells (Deputy Bursar) has worked tirelessly for over three years to confirm the material of the roof. During this time, the College has sought opinions from residents and members of the Council, and worked with them to address their concerns about the roofing material.

The material that has been approved is of Rimex Stainless Steel and will be finished two tones with champagne and bronze. In order to ensure that these colours do not fade and that the tiles do not reflect too much sunlight, the finished product goes through three processes:

1.       The raw stainless steel is anodised through a chemical dipping process to achieve a stable and consistent  colour that does not deteriorate or dull down over time.

2.       The flat material is then rolled and texture is applied to provide a subtle texture

3.       The processed material is then bead blasted to reduce any shine that has resulted from the texture processing.

The final design is a soft blend of tones that complement the other external materials of Bath stone, timber and brick.