Bracknell Roofing has completed a major refurbishment of the 800,000sq ft Invacare factory roof in Pencoed, South Wales, whilst the factory remained fully operational.
The flat roof on the building was over 20 years’ old and the single ply membrane had begun to deteriorate in places.
It was Bracknell Roofing’s specialist knowledge in flat roofs that enabled the team to advise the client on all the options available – repair or replace – that resulted in Invacare UK commissioned the company to carry out both the flat roof and ManSafe elements.
“This is a huge factory covering 800,000 sq ft and so replacing the entire roof was not really an option, particularly as it would have caused major disruption to our manufacturing operations,” said Darren Swetman head of the i-Custom team at Invacare UK, which manufactures and distributes long-term care medical products.
“We were impressed with the knowledge of Bracknell Roofing’s flat roof specialists who took a valued engineered approach to keeping our costs down, whilst avoiding disruption to our day to day operations.”
The challenge faced by Bracknell Roofing was ensuring that the building remained watertight during repair work which, considering it was carried out in the severe winter and late spring weather, required a highly organised and efficient approach.
“It was critical to ensure that the old and new single ply elements were joined effectively and that requires specialist knowledge in flat roofs,” said Anthony Jones, Contracts Manager for Bracknell Roofing based at its Bridgend branch. “In some areas we had to take the roof back to its basic structure to ensure a robust joint, although the skills and experience of our team meant we were able to do this quickly and efficiently to avoid rainwater entering the building.”
Along with replacing elements of the single ply in most need of attention, Bracknell Roofing installed a permanent ManSafe system, including handrails, around the roof perimeter to ensure the safety of future maintenance and access teams.
The work carried out on the Pencoed factory is a reflection of Bracknell Roofing’s ability to act as principal contractor on what was a major refurbishment project requiring multi-disciplined skills and which had to be completed to a strict schedule. The company can also work as sub-contractor and provides a national network of highly competent, experienced professionals covering all aspects of the building envelop.
With specialist in-house skills in pitched and flat roofs, leadwork and sustainable building envelopes, the company is committed to the ongoing development of skills and competencies within its national branch network.
