Safe, robust and theft-proof, Romilly Primary School
is now set for many maintenance-free years thanks to the work and
market-leading guarantee from BMI UK & Ireland and its BMI Redland and BMI
Icopal products.
The school roof posed a tough challenge to Vale of
Glamorgan Council as it was not only old, it was also immensely complex
and susceptible to burglary. Built in 1893, the school is in a picturesque,
exposed position upon a hill overlooking the sea. The roof not only
incorporates many hips and valleys, it also has a 250m2 flat roof at its
centre.
Owing to its position, the pitched roof had been
damaged by high winds and the ridge mortar had degraded over time. The problems
from the natural causes had been compounded by crime – thieves had stripped
most of the lead from the roof details, so the roof not only leaked, it also
threatened the safety of the children in the playground beneath. There was also
the issue of replacing the flat roof area in the centre of the school.
Paul Hynam, the council’s construction consultant, set
out a specification for the new roof: it should be secure, look like the
existing roof, be low maintenance, resistant to theft and address environmental
issues. The roof should also be quick to install so it could be fixed during
the school holidays, eliminating potential disruption to the schools 700
pupils.
“I chose BMI UK & Ireland because, by using their
BMI Redland and BMI Icopal products, they offered a solution that met the
design brief, and provided support throughout the project,” explains Paul.
“Using their SpecMaster service gives you a 15-year guarantee complete with the
design and on-site supervision – so you know that the roof has gone on
correctly. In effect you can forget about the roof and maintenance for 15
years. BMI Redland’s Cambrian Slate also meets our environmental criteria –
it’s recycled – and it’s Welsh”.
“Using BMI’s pitched and flat roofing products
together gives confidence that both parts of the roof integrate – due to the
collaborative details – and the result meets the required performance and
reliability and is aesthetically pleasing. As Redland and Icopal are now one
company they are able to take full responsibility for the design of
construction details to ensure that they worked together.”
The council had previously used different
manufacturers for the flat and pitched roof, which caused issues. When there
was a problem, usually at the point that the two different systems met, the
manufacturers would very often blame each other and neither would accept
responsibility. By using pitched and flat solutions together from BMI they will
no longer have this problem.
For the pitched roof covering, BMI Redland Cambrian
Slate was specified. An interlocking slate with three fixings, Cambrian works
well in exposed situations and is made from recycled waste slate in nearby
Merthyr Tydfil. To reduce maintenance, the slates were installed using a dry
system, with fixings on the ridge and hip system to imitate the previous roof.
Because the school had a vaulted ceiling construction
within it, venting was an issue at eaves level so BMI 4.5k ThruVent Tiles were
deployed, rather than standard eaves vents.
The flat roof covering chosen was BMI Icopal Universal
– a 3.2mm single ply covering that is UV resistant and tough but also light and
malleable, making it ideal for detailed roofing features. To boost thermal
performance, BMI Area Technical Manager specified Thermazone Roofboard
Insulation, which was laid on the existing PUR/ PIR insulation and employed the
existing vapour control layer as a vapour check. To deal with the potentially
problematic interface between the pitched and flat roofs, it was specified that
the waterproofing was taken under the slates and up to the top of the eaves
batten – a detail monitored during installation.
Now Vale of Glamorgan Council has peace of mind for
years to come with the both pitched roof and flat roofs variously guaranteed or
warrantied under the schemes provided by BMI UK & Ireland when roofs are
designed and installed to its specifications.
