Gradient Flat Roofing puts a new slant on a school roofing system

With a complex cranked beam deck and numerous internal outlets, a project to refurbish the roof of Bede Primary School and Community Centre, in Gateshead, called for an intricate and meticulously planned roofing design. Gradient Flat Roofing has supplied a bespoke tapered insulation system that perfectly meets these requirements, as well as demonstrating the company’s utmost flexibility and expertise.

Having fallen into a serious state of disrepair, the building required a complete roof replacement, including a full strip and re-cover with a flame free system. This involved the input of multiple expert trades – all working under the strict time pressures of an operational school environment. In close cooperation with roofing contractors, Hodgson and Allon, and waterproof membrane specialists, IKO PLC, Gradient provided a site-specific single layer insulation system, with each piece factory-cut to precise specifications.

Steve Adams at Gradient explains: “The cranked beam construction of the original design resulted in a series of ridges and valleys across the entire roof area, which was allowing water to pool in various places. To combat this, the new roofing design was engineered to achieve high levels of rainwater drainage over a carefully calculated series of falls. Where possible, we have worked within the existing cranks and then applied fully tapered systems to the flat areas of the deck, creating a completely bespoke cut-to-fall system that delivers highly effective drainage and reduced installation times.”

Colin Howey, at Hodgson and Allon agrees, saying: “This was a complicated job because of the number of trades involved and the intricate design of the roof itself, which included 40 internal outlets, several roof windows and a copper single-ply standing seam detail. We have worked with Gradient many times before and have always been happy with both the quality of product and the service provided, so we knew we could expect an efficient insulation system that we could install quickly and easily.”

After consulting with all parties, the final system incorporated IKO’s Mach One single layer bituminous system, followed by Gradient’s Powerdeck F insulation board on top. Designed as the perfect partner to mechanically fixed single-ply waterproof membranes, Powerdeck F comprises a closed cell rigid polyiscyanurate foam core, which is faced with perforated, mineral-coated glass fibre tissue on both sides, offering maximum thermal performance and reduced installation times.

“A single-layer system such as ours is ideally suited to a project like this,” concludes Steve. “A multi-layer system would have to be built-up on site and so would have been extremely difficult to install on a roof such as this. In contrast, our single-layer system allowed us to create bespoke insulation components under controlled factory conditions and then deliver them to site ready for installation. Not only did this ensure effective and accurate coverage of the roof area, but it also helped speed up the installation process.”

For more information please visit www.gradientuk.com