Kingspan gives fire station the Weymouth Wave

A £6.5 million fire station has quickly become a local landmark thanks to its iconic wave-form roof, made possible with the use of over 5,000 m2 of Kingspan's high performance Thermaroof TR27 LPC/FM insulation.

Weymouth Community Fire Station is the first purpose built community fire station in the UK and replaces the town's outdated coast-front fire station. The new community station supplies Weymouth with first class fire response and a range of community facilities. These include a large café, several meeting rooms, an I.T. suite, gym and even a purpose built dance studio with sprung floors.

One of the most technically challenging aspects of the project was the station's eye-catching wave-form roof. The design made Kingspan Thermaroof TR27 LPC/FM the ideal choice for the building as Graham Stevenson, Director at design practice Tetris Solutions, explained:

"The wave-form roof was an integral part of our design for the station as it emphasises Weymouth's close relationship with the sea. We specified Kingspan Insulation's Thermaroof TR27 as it was able to provide a high standard of thermal performance, while also bending to the 2.5 metre radius required by the roof's design".

The Kingspan Thermaroof TR27 LPC/FM insulation is available slotted allowing it to flex to radii of up to 1.5 metres for both convex and concave roofs. In addition, 277 m2 of Kingspan Insulation's Thermataper TT47 LPC/FM was also fitted on the flat roof above the station's large main entrance. The system's tapered design allows it to provide flat roofs with both insulation and drainage without the need for a structural fall or screed.

Both products were installed on the project by specialist roofing and cladding firm Coverworld Construction. As with all products in the Therma range they are simple to install, resistant to water vapour, and capable of achieving thermal conductivities as low as 0.022 W/m.K.

Along with the statement made by its wave-form roof, the design of Weymouth Community Fire Station also reflects the desire to encourage local interaction; with a largely glazed front exterior displaying the fire engines and other internal machinery. The station also features a specialist fire education training facility dubbed "FireWise". This interactive experience takes visitors through the different stages of a fire including a walkthrough house, a "real-life" fire demonstration and the aftermath of fire.