Approximately 2,700m² of Icopal’s premier roofing membranes have recently been installed as part of the refurbishment of Leopardstown Racecourse’s main grandstand. The company’s Pyrobar heat-activated underlay and Olympic ThermaWeld mineral capsheet replaced an existing roofing system that had reached the end of its serviceable life. The performance and expected lifespan of the roof have been upgraded, with the installation of this high quality system, which was undertaken by Crown Roofing, one of Icopal’s IMA approved contactor network members.
Leopardstown Racecourse, which this year celebrates a 125 years milestone, is based in Foxrock, just outside of Dublin. Originally built in 1888, the racecourse was later purchased by the Racing Board (since evolved into Horse Racing Ireland) in 1967, in order to secure its racing future. Now the race course hosts some of the biggest races in the calendar, including jump racing in winter and flat racing for the rest of the year.
The new Icopal flat roof system was chosen and specified after the company met with representatives of the Racing Board at Leopardstown, where Icopal was able to gain a thorough understanding of the racecourse’s requirements and budget. Following this, Icopal, with its vast market-leading portfolio of roof waterproofing systems, was then able to present the most appropriate system for this project’s individual needs.
The Pyrobar heat-activated underlay was a key waterproof membrane for the new system. Providing significant energy and cost savings through the reduction in torch-gas requirement and installation time, the underlay also helped to ensure that the entire roof structure was safe from fire thanks to the fact that the application flame would not come into direct contact with the existing roof structure or adjacent details.
The Pyrobar system also incorporates Icopal’s latest Syntan technology. With its distinctive bright red finish, this technology replaces the conventional sanded surface on roof underlays, which maximizes heat transfer efficiency and ensures the highest possible bond strength between underlay and capsheet. The vapour dispersion underside of this unique underlay also greatly enhances the system’s vapour management performance.
Icopal’s High Performance Olympic ThermaWeld SBS modified mineral cap sheet was also installed. As part of Icopal’s high quality, long lifespan range of membranes, which are designed for both new or refurbished flat roofs, the cap sheet’s technology incorporates specially developed low heat reactive resin blends with a patented groove surface on the underside, for exceptional installation performance. As a result, a considerably lower application of heat is required to disperse the polypropylene film and activate the adhesive properties of the resin blend since the heat is channeled rapidly along the grooves giving a ‘forward melt’ effect. This allows the membrane to be installed up to 30% faster than conventional torch applied membranes, dramatically reducing installation times.
Stephen Byrne, Project Manager at Crown Roofing, who was responsible for the installation at the Leopardstown grandstand, said: “Icopal’s products were chosen for this project because of their competitive price, coupled with their full system warranty. They have provided a high quality solution to a unique roofing requirement. The products and technical back up from the company are second to none.”
James Robb, Icopal’s Regional Director in Ireland said: “Icopal was delighted to be offered the opportunity to present a high performance specification for the roofworks at this prestigious project. We provided Pyrobar, our market leading thermally activated underlay with integral vapour dispersion, and Olympic Thermaweld, the high performance capsheet also installed at the Aviva Stadium Dublin.
“Both projects are great examples of what we do best - we listen to the client’s requirements and select the most appropriate option from Icopal’s vast, market leading portfolio of systems. We then support that project from specification and through every stage of installation by one of our IMA approved roofing contractor network members, with site visits, reports and ongoing advice and then through to completion and issuing of the industry’s most comprehensive guarantee.”
For more information on Icopal, visit www.icopal.co.uk.
