The project involved a 1950’s industrial building that was operational yet still had its original roof material containing asbestos. The initial challenges called for the use of the best products available to ensure a safe, quick and long lasting refurbishment solution; as well as offering improvements in both thermal and lighting performance.

Built when the use of Galbestos sheets for roofing applications were common, the original design of the roof consisted of Galbestos sheets, a 20mm thick fibre board and finally a top layer of felt which also contained asbestos. This had been maintained and repaired over the years, but now was at a stage of leakage and degradation, such that asbestos containing material was blocking the gutters, causing them to overflow water into the manufacturing bay. In other words remedial work was sorely needed.

When choosing the products for the new roof, many factors needed to be considered. Based in an industrial area, as well as being close to a tidal estuary, the building is exposed to a harsh environment. Therefore, the building materials selected for the project needed to be durable. In addition, the existing building structure required the weight of the replacement system to be carefully evaluated to ensure that it was not overloaded. Furthermore, as the roof was above an operational manufacturing plant, speed of construction and minimal disturbance of internal operations were the other key criteria. This raised a unique set of challenges as work could not be stopped during the installation. Nets needed to be put in place to prevent any debris falling into the manufacturing line and work was constrained to access boards, which involved fitting and replacing section by section so the new roof also had to be walkable and non-fragile.

Safety netting installed to protect the workers below

Taking into account these key considerations, Tata Steel were able to supply ideal products to deliver the best performance and meet all criteria. The roof was replaced using Trisomet®, a trapezoidal insulated panel, allowing for ease of installation and were in fact lighter than the 3 layer system that had previously been in place, reducing the load on the structure, and provided a more thermally efficient system.

The external face of the Trisomet® panel was manufactured using  which provided superior protection in the harsh coastal and industrial environment. The super durable pre-finished steel has been through rigorous testing regimes to prove this capability and meets the highest corrosion resistance category of RC5. Tata Steel also provided Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra^® pre-finished steel for the external features of the new roof including the ridge profile, barge boards and joining strips.

The replacement roof lights with improved light transmission and a bright white liner on the internal face of the insulated panels dramatically increased the brightness inside the building, reducing the need for artificial lighting and improving the general working conditions. The new roof offers the opportunity to reduce the buildings total energy consumption due to better natural light and increased retention of heat within the structure.

Building roof during refurbishment showing the difference the bright white liner and new rooflights make

With all Tata Steel UK construction products being certified to Responsible Sourcing standard BES 6001 , including the Trisomet® panel, a more sustainable construction solution is ensured. Providing reassurance to the building owner, the pre-finished steel and insulated panel products used for the refurbishment are responsibly sourced and fully traceable, back to the raw materials. Further reassurance is provided as both products are also backed by intensive testing and available with comprehensive guarantees.

Using its extensive expertise, Tata Steel was able to ensure the roof of the manufacturing building was now asbestos free and would withstand the elements as well as providing additional benefits such as enhanced light and thermal performance.

For more information on the products mentioned or to see how Tata Steel can help you with your next project, call the Colorcoat Connection^®helpline