BMI UK & Ireland
has enhanced its portfolio of market-leading pitched and flat roofing
technology solutions with new Green and Blue ‘Active Roof Systems’. Active Roof
Systems is how BMI UK & Ireland describes roof coverings that perform a
greater function beyond shelter and protection.
While
weather-tightness is the primary purpose of a roof, with the right
technologies, roofs can be transformed into power stations, rainwater recycling
systems or an opportunity to reduce energy costs.
An evolution of
BMI’s existing offer, the BMI Canopia Green Roof offers the chance to create
natural spaces in the sky, improving air quality, biodiversity and well-being
for building users. Whether designed to be walked on, provide a roof-top
garden, or simply to improve the aesthetic of the building, Green Roofs can
reduce storm water run-off and can improve overall building performance by
protecting roof surfaces from extreme weather.
BMI Canopia also
improves the thermal efficiency of buildings by providing an additional
insulatory layer, while also reducing solar gain and the effect of ‘urban heat
islands’ which can be damaging to both health and the environment.
BMI Canopia is a
range of four standard systems – Sedum, Wildflower, Biodiverse and Intensive
Green – with the company also eager to work with designers, landscapers and
contractors to develop bespoke solutions to meet exact customer needs. Sedum
roofs lend themselves to rainwater attenuation, owing to the succulent nature
of the planting; Wildflower and Biodiverse roofs deliver meadow habitats to
support a greater breadth of flora and fauna than Sedum types; while Intensive
Green Roofs are designed to be trafficked, creating gardens and recreational
spaces for sport and leisure.
BMI UK & Ireland
is also launching its new Blue Roof system. Blue Roof systems control water
flow from rooftops and limit flooding during heavy rainfall. A water
attenuation board, which stores water temporarily, is covered with a permeable
top layer, which itself can be a Green Roof to further increase roof
attenuation capabilities, while outlets work to restrict the flow rate of
water from the roof to greenfield levels.
Blue Roofs can be
deployed in inverted roof structures, podium decks, warm roofs and ballasted
roofs. The build-up of an inverted Blue Roof, for instance, would comprise a
waterproofing layer, insulation, water attenuation void former, filter layer
and the top, permeable, layer.
Blue Roofs tend to
require fewer outlets than a traditional design, which means that construction
times can be shorter and there are fewer penetrations which reduce the risks of
faults or leaks. The number of flow restrictor outlets, the openings within that
outlet and their position must be carefully designed and installed accordingly.
An important step in the installation process is a post-installation inspection
to ensure that the roof has been built to the intended design.
BMI Blue Roofs
comply fully with the National Federation of Roofing Contractors’ (NFRC) Blue
Roof design guidelines. The NFRC guide says that the roof should hold water for
no longer than 24 hours and the flow rate should be such that half of the
roof’s capacity is discharged after 12 hours. Blue Roofs should be equipped
with an emergency overflow outlet to allow excess water to be discharged should
there be an unusually high rainfall, that is a 1:100 storm event. In BMI’s
system, the overflow is set into the middle of the main outlet, with a vertical
pipe cut at a height to match maximum water levels.
Blue Roofs are
gaining popularity in the UK as an alternative form of Sustainable Urban
Drainage Systems (SUDS). Other methods such as below-ground water attenuation
tanks are almost always more expensive to construct and may simply not be
possible in built-up areas.
Both the Green and
Blue Active Roof Systems benefit from BMI’s complete six-step ‘cradle to grave’
design, advice and calculation service. This starts with consultation and site
surveys, leading to specification, site support and project monitoring; and concludes
with industry-leading roof systems guarantees for both roof types. On
completion, the roof is covered – both literally and metaphorically.
BMI UK & Ireland
also has a dedicated field service, with a network of technical advisers
available to provide a bespoke Green or Blue Roof specification to meet any
client’s needs and project requirements. This service is free of charge
and its consultants are available at any time to answer queries on any aspect
of Green or Blue Roofing design.
BMI UK & Ireland
is the largest manufacturer of flat and pitched roofing and waterproofing
solutions in the UK and Europe. Formed following the coming together of Icopal
and Monier Redland, it has heritage in roofing reaching back over 180 years and
is an industry leader offering the highest quality solutions for both pitched
and flat roofing.
