The roof of an occupied 1930s art deco municipal
office building, situated in the busy town centre of Blackpool, Lancashire,
required urgent repair.
The building was experiencing standing water on a
largely zero falls roof with only four drainage outlets, meaning water had
started to leak into the occupied offices below.
Kemper System’s Stratex Warm Roof system using
its Kemperol V210 was specified for the 1,200m2 roof area - offering exceptional performance and supplied as a complete
integrated system of matched components.
The Kemperol V210 is a polyester-based resin,
applied wet-on-wet that forms a permanently elastic, seamless, yet highly
durable waterproofing membrane.
Due to limited access on site, Lancashire-based
Castle Contractors had to remove 40 tonnes of stone ballast and inverted
insulation on the existing roof by hand. Because of the volume of material and
the busy street location of the building, skips were not suitable to dispose of
the waste, so the material was lowered from the roof and then immediately taken
away from site using contractor’s vehicles.
The roof was extremely complex with detailing
around air-conditioning units, raised steelwork and cable trays in close
proximity. Contractors also removed and replaced eight rooflights and boxed-in
others that were no longer required. All existing steel work on the roof was
treated and encapsulated with plywood and waterproofed with Kemperol to ensure
additional life span.
Contractors had to clean the roof prior to the
application of Kemper System’s Kemperol V210. The lack of drainage meant any
power washing created more ponding on the roof. Therefore, contractors used a
vacuum wash and dry system that automatically extracted the waste water and
pumped it directly down the drainage outlets.
After cleaning the
substrate, contractors applied Kemper System’s Kempertec D Primer over the
Kempertherm F insulation as part of the warm roof build-up. The insulation is
rigid PIR board with multi-layer foil composite face on both sides, and has
tongue and groove edges for interlocking construction. Kempertec EP5 Primer was
also applied prior to installation of Kemperol V210 to the roof deck and
stairwell areas.
The cold-applied
Kemperol V210 liquid resin saturates a non-woven reinforcement fleece that is
tailored to the exact contours and details of the roof. The waterproofing is
installed in a single process and cures to provide a robust waterproof membrane
that cannot delaminate and is UV stable.
Mark Atherton, managing director at Castle
Contractors, said: “There were three main challenges to overcome on this
project – the safe removal of the existing ballast, cleaning of the roof prior
to application, and the creation of drainage channels to carry water to the
outlets.
“Due to budget constraints preventing the use of
a full tapered insulation scheme to improve the drainage, it was agreed by the
client, Blackpool Council, for us to create a 50mm deep channel system in the
warm roof build-up to route all the water to the four drains that serve the
entire roof.
“Because Kemper System is applied wet-on-wet, we
were easily able to waterproof the entire roof area including the new drainage
system, and execute complex detailing around the roof lights with ease.
“Access to site was extremely challenging so the
simple yet effective equipment required on site was ideal.
“Thanks to the successful application of Kemperol
and on-site technical guidance, we were able to develop a good relationship
with the client for future projects.”
Stuart Hicks at Kemper System added: “Despite the
challenges faced by Castle Contractors, the project was completed ahead of
schedule thanks to the quick and easy application of the Stratex Warm Roof
system and our Kemperol V210 liquid waterproofing system.”
“The project was shortlisted for the Liquid
Roofing and Waterproofing Awards due to the complexity of the roof which made
this an ideal project for a liquid applied membrane, the technical solution
offered, and the difficulties experienced with site preparation and logistics.”
