Eggsacting Roof Project

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• Eggsacting Roof Project

AAC Waterproofing has roofed a timber framed and curiously egg shaped primary school in Birmingham. The  1,600sq.m new build project forms part of the Birmingham Building Schools for the Future programme.

AAC measured and prefabricated the curved roof off-site at its North Wales factory. The company used a Datum line and bonded individual sheets of Prelasti, aprefabricated EPDM material, in stepped lengths.

The new Four Dwellings Primary School, on the site of the secondary school with the same name, has been designed from the inside out by project architects dRMM. Classrooms surround a central hall and provide a link between internal communal areas and external landscaping.

AAC discussed with dRMM its Prelasti EPDM synthetic rubber alternative to asphalt and felt materials and the two worked together on a basic specification for a solution using EPDM material.

At the tender stage BSF lead contractor Birmingham Lend Lease Partnership chose AAC’s Prelasti solution for its durability, cost, environmental (BREEAM A+) and lightweight qualities that particularly suit timber-bearing structures such as Four Dwellings.

AAC supplied a prefabricated single-ply EPDM solution consisting of a vapour control sheet, 150mm flat board insulation and Prelasti cover. The stepped-length EPDM sheets were bonded off-site using vulcanising technology, making the roof more durable than adhered strips.

AAC’s project manager Mike Grant says: “We are finding that timber-frame structures are being used more widely as an alternative to steel because of their environmental properties.

“EPDM is the ideal waterproofing membrane for timber structures such as Four Dwellings, as it is lightweight, environmentally sound, and involves no hot works or fires, as asphalt does.”

Article written by Brian Shillibeer

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