The IBIS Hotel in Bristol has undergone a significant façade transformation to address both fire‑safety compliance and long‑term durability concerns. The original timber cladding, while visually appealing, no longer met modern safety standards. As a result, the building required a non‑combustible, low‑maintenance alternative that could retain the character of the original appearance without compromising on regulatory compliance.

To achieve this, the project team selected Valcan’s Evverlap A2 Fibre Cement Weatherboard, a product specifically engineered to replicate the visual warmth and textured grain of natural timber while delivering a fully non‑combustible, high‑performance cladding system. Evverlap is rated A2‑s1, d0 in accordance with BS EN 13501‑1, ensuring it meets the stringent fire‑safety requirements now applied to hotel façades and multi‑storey buildings across the UK.

The Evverlap planks in a stained Walnut were specified by DMWR Architects Ltd as a direct replacement for the hotel’s original combustible wooden cladding. Their specification allowed the IBIS Hotel to maintain the aesthetic qualities of a timber façade, while also upgrading the building envelope to a modern, safe, and future‑proof standard.

The stained and grained finish of Evverlap is particularly effective in providing the illusion of real wood - even up close - while requiring far less maintenance over the building’s lifespan.

Installation was undertaken by Harbour Facade Systems Ltd, working on behalf of Bell Building Projects Ltd, the principal contractor overseeing the recladding programme. 

Their installation work highlights the versatility and simplicity of Evverlap as a retrofit solution. The planks were fitted using Valcan’s recommended methodology, ensuring the system performs as intended in terms of fire safety, ventilation and weather resistance.

The completed façade delivers a crisp, clean and contemporary finish that revitalises the hotel’s external appearance while providing assurance to building operators and guests alike.

This project demonstrates how older buildings with combustible façades can be sensitively and effectively upgraded without sacrificing aesthetics. The IBIS Hotel Bristol now benefits from a façade system that combines realistic timber styling with tested non‑combustible performance.