Tenants warm to Kemper System roofing solution

Kemper System’s Stratex warm roof system has been used to upgrade the roofs of five social housing apartment blocks as part of an investment programme supporting a £20 million stock transfer from Gloucester City Council to housing association Gloucester City Homes.

Combining Kemper System’s Kempertherm PIR insulation board and the company’s Kemperol V210 cold-applied liquid waterproofing membrane, the warm roof upgrades form part of a £29 million 30-year plan, which also includes construction of 100 new social housing dwellings by 2020; the first to be constructed in the city since 1991.

Delivered by main contractor, Mears Group, the improvement works focused on an external upgrade to five tenanted blocks; two on Sweetbriars Street, two on Union Street and one on Columbia Street. All works had to be carried out while the homes remained fully occupied, so the use of Kemper System’s cold-applied liquid membrane was the ideal solution for delivering a robust solution with a BBA accredited service life of 25 years, without causing undue disruption or risk to tenants.

Roofing contractor, Rateavon, stripped the existing metal deck roof of each block and installed a new OSB (oriented strand board) deck as part of the strategy for maximising the service life of the existing accommodation. A Kempershield primer was then applied to the roof surface and allowed to cure before the installation of a Kempershield vapour control layer (VCL).

Kemperfix adhesive was applied onto the roof surface and the Kempertherm insulation board was adhered to the roof, using the system’s tongue and groove structure to interlock each piece of board and provide a uniform finish.

The Kemperol V210 cold-applied liquid waterproofing membrane was then applied in a single wet-on-wet process involving the application of liquid resin to the substrate followed by installation of the reinforcement fleece onto the wet resin. More resin was then immediately applied to ensure complete saturation of the fleece before the system was allowed to cure to form a durable, monolithic waterproof membrane that cannot delaminate and remains permanently elastic and U/V stable.

Comments Stuart Hicks from Kemper System: “The upgrades to the five blocks form an important milestone in Gloucester City Homes initiative to improve social housing in the city, enhancing existing assets for both current and future tenants and maximising their service life.”