August 2021

AUGUST 2021
Innovation
Innovation
unlocked
unlocked
>>> • ROOFING’S REPUTATION • PITCHED PROBLEMS • SCHOOL PROJECTS • >>>
>>> • ROOFING’S REPUTATION • PITCHED PROBLEMS • SCHOOL PROJECTS • >>>

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Editor’s Comment
MATT DOWNS
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
MATTDOWNS@MEDIA-NOW.CO.UK
07963 330774
Innovation
unlocked
We had the opportunity to put the questions to Sika UK’s General
Manager, Tom Forsyth, in this month’s issue.
Whilst Tom acknowledges it’s a “challenging time with the pandemic and
the current supply issues” within roofing, he is also positive with regards to
future, explaining he’s “enormously excited about how the shape of UK
construction is moving.” With regards to supply challenges, Tom told us:
“The availability of materials and the rising costs require us to be creative
and focus on what is possible – partnerships and mutual understanding
are key to us performing well with a focus on innovation and new ways of
tackling the needs of the marketplace.” Read our interview from page 26.
In his regular column, James Talman gives his thoughts on the England ‘fan’
who made the headlines and brought roofing into the spotlight for all the
wrong reasons once again. As James explains: “Whilst this man is by no
means representative of the tens of thousands of roofers in this country, it
certainly doesn’t help with promoting our industry’s reputation as a
professional sector.” Read why James feels we should look to Germany as
an example, why increased support and uptake of RoofCERT is crucial to
improving the sector’s image, and how “we all need to do our part” to
improve the sector’s reputation, on page 16.
Elsewhere in this issue, find out how to reduce risk and ensure long-term
performance of pitched roofing projects with Marley (page 24); hear why
MCRMA’s ‘No to Impact Drivers’ campaign is so important (page 48); and
Rob Firman explains all you need to know about BS 6229 on page 62.
So read on for all this and much more!
find us on facebook
Matt
£345
LY
Including
delivery
T l C C A 2021 i dd 1
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AUGUST 2021 TC 3

Contents
3 KEY FEATURES
34
16 ROOFING’S REPUTATION
As roofing makes the headlines for the wrong
reasons once again, James Talman says if we
want to change the image of our industry, we
all need to play our part
24 REDUCING RISK
With new regs putting building safety in the
spotlight, Stuart Nicholson outlines the
measures contractors can take to reduce risk
and ensure long-term performance of projects
48 IMPACT DRIVER ISSUES
Carlton Jones discusses MCRMA’s campaign to
raise awareness of correct practice when it
comes to installing fasteners, and explains why
impact drivers should be avoided
FURTHER READING
24
14 CAVITY WALL FOCUS
Bradley Hirst, Technical Services Manager from Knauf
Insulation, looks at best practice for insulating cavity walls
28 GO FOR BLUE-GREEN ROOFS
With environmental legislation set to be come law,
Nicholas Wright says contractors should look to bluegreen
roofs to create a more sustainable future
32 THE FUTURE FOR FASTENING
Robert Hardstaff discusses EJOT UK’s investment
programme and outlines the benefits for customers
34 PROJECT FOCUS: SCHOOL
We hear how Resitrix provided a solution for problem
roofs at Prince Henry’s High School in Evesham
48
50 TIMBER FRAME FIRE FOCUS
The experts at A Proctor Group provide a focus on timber
frame categories and fire separation distances
66 CAVITY BARRIERS
Graham Laws looks at the changes to the way we build
masonry façades and how we protect them against fire
4 TC AUGUST 2021

REGULARS
22 PERFECTLY PITCHED
John Mercer addresses some of the common
pitched roofing mistakes with regards to
design and installation
SECTIONS:
TOTAL
ROOFING
22
26 TOTAL TALK: SIKA UK
We put the questions to Tom Forsyth, Sika UK’s
General Manager, discussing his carerer path,
plans for Sika and challenges for contractors
61 QI BY QI COLUMN
INDUSTRY NEWS
06 NFRC TO ADDRESS STRESS
12
The experts look at the issues around
condensation risk when insulating above and
below the deck
62 ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW...
about BS 6229 with Rob Firman of Polyfoam XPS
A free to download Toolbox Talk has been launched by
NFRC to help roofers who are facing stress and fatigue
08 BBA REVEALS BIGGEST RISKS
The BBA says poor workmanship and uncontrolled value
engineering are considered key risks to construction
TOTAL
CLADDING
48
TOTAL
INSULATION
60
VEHICLES, TOOLS
& WORKWEAR
72
AUGUST 2021 TC 5

Industry News
More news, updates and interviews at www.total-contractor.co.uk
PERSIMMON SIGNS
WITH ROOFCERT
Persimmon Homes, a leading UK
housebuilder, has partnered with the
roofing accreditation scheme, RoofCERT,
to promote best practice in their supply
chain and ensure sub-contractors get it
right first time every time.
Through its partnership with RoofCERT,
Persimmon says it aims to use its leading
market position to support roofing contractors,
many of whom are small and medium-sized
companies, to get ahead of the game and
ensure their roofing operatives are RoofCERT
accredited and can demonstrate their team’s
competency. It says it will also allow
experienced operatives who currently hold a
CSCS Card through ‘grandfathering rights’ to
gain a new skilled worker card before the old
grandfathering system comes to an end in
2024.
The Construction Industry Training Board
(CITB) has funding available for 2,000
accreditations, but NFRC says this funding is
only available until April 2022, and with
hundreds of roofers already in the pipeline,
operatives are being urged to sign-up to get
their accreditation now, whilst it is free.
At a recent webinar with their roofing suppliers,
Persimmon encouraged all of their roofing
contractors to put their operatives through the
accreditation process, as it will not only help
drive up industry standards but make them
more attractive companies to work for.
Andrew Fuller, Persimmon Group Construction
Director, said: “Being accredited to RoofCERT
and by having a well-trained and industry
accredited workforce, roofing companies will
have independent verification to provide
confidence to clients, main contractors and all
stakeholders.”
Find out more about RoofCERT:
www.roofcert.co.uk
NFRC SET TO ADDRESS ‘STRESS & FATIGUE’
NFRC has published a free to download hours a night.
Toolbox Talk to support roofers who are facing
• Consider taking a ‘digital detox’.
high levels of stress and fatigue due to the
ongoing shortage of materials and skilled • Take regular breaks away from the workplace.
labour, as well as rising material prices.
At the end of the Toolbox Talk, NFRC highlights the
According to the NFRC’s State of the Roofing Lighthouse Club Construction Industry Charity as
Industry, the first quarter of the year saw over two one place where operatives can go to get more
thirds (68 per cent) of roofing contractors support. The Lighthouse Club Charity’s Helpline
reporting material shortages, 44 per cent
(0345 605 1956) is entirely confidential and is
reporting skill shortages and almost nine out of open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
ten (89 per cent) reporting price rises.
Commenting on the Tool Box Talk,
NFRC says this pressure is having
NFRC Safety, Health and
a negative impact on roofers’
Environmental Officer, Gary
mental health and wellbeing,
Walpole (left) said: “Our industry
particularly those on the front
is going through an
line who are facing daily requests
unprecedented period. Roofers are
for information such as when
faced with a combination of
materials will be delivered or if additional
extremely high workloads, long lead times
labour is required. NFRC has therefore put and shortages on most roofing products, labour
together a Toolbox Talk that contractors can give shortages and rising material prices.
to their teams to help build resilience in this Unsurprisingly, this is causing a considerable
difficult time.
amount of stress and anxiety, which can, in turn,
lead to other workplace accidents, especially
The Toolbox Talk, aimed at contractors, provides
when our members work in a high-risk
practical advice on managing stress, building
environment, and that is why we have put this
resilience, and promoting positive wellbeing
Toolbox Talk together.”
during this difficult time for the industry. This
includes some of the following tips:
He added: “It is important to recognise what you
can and can’t control. Many of the issues we are
• Control the controllable.
facing as an industry such as worldwide material
• Regularly evaluate and review.
shortages are out of our control, but we can
control how we respond to them as well as how
• Focus on solutions and opportunities, not just
we look after our wellbeing and that of our teams.
problems.
This Toolbox Talk helps with this by providing
• Learn something positive from a negative some practical tips and advice to promote
experience and then move on.
positive mental health and build resilience to the
issues we are currently facing.”
• Connect regularly with friends and colleagues.
He concluded: “If anyone is struggling at this
• Maintain your fitness.
time, and needs someone to talk to, do not
• Eat healthily – reducing sugar levels and add hesitate to call the Lighthouse Charity’s helpline
protein to meals.
on 0345 605 1956. There is someone on the other
side of the line at all hours every day of the week,
• Integrate walks into your daily routine.
ready to listen.”
• Get good sleep levels – ideally seven or eight
www.nfrc.co.uk
6 TC AUGUST 2021

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Industry News
More news, updates and interviews at www.total-contractor.co.uk
BBA CONSULTATION REVEALS RISKS TO BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The British Board of Agrément’s industry
consultation into driving up construction product
safety standards for Higher Risk Residential
Buildings (HRRBs) has revealed that the market
considers poor workmanship and uncontrolled
value engineering to pose the biggest risks to the
built environment, higher even than façade fires.
More than 10,000 viewpoints were collected
during the 15-week consultation – entitled
Construction Product Assessment Relating to
Higher Risk Residential Buildings – with product
manufacturers and BBA certificate user groups
representing architects, specifiers, warranty
providers, insurers, construction managers,
funders, building control, and regulators giving
their opinions.
The initiative was launched to gather feedback on
the role that building product certification plays in
the safe construction and refurbishment of
HRRBs, the BBA’s proposal of creating an
‘Agrément Plus’ certification scheme to deal
specifically with HRRB safety requirements and to
explore wider issues.
“Risks from poor workmanship and unchecked
value engineering were on our radar to
investigate,” said BBA Technical Director Prof Bill
Hewlett. “But the strength of feeling about them
came as a surprise and is an important finding.”
The consultation reinforced the very clear
message that responsibility for safety in the built
environment lies with everyone throughout the
supply chain, build process and onwards. This is
not new information, it echoes the principles of
Dame Judith Hackitt’s Golden Thread. However,
manufacturers, trade associations and user
groups the BBA spoke with felt they were
Five key action points the BBA has taken
from the consultation:
• Further systemisation of BBA processes.
• Strengthened testing regimes.
• Digitisation of BBA processes and certificates.
• A spotlight on sustainability and ethical sourcing.
• Greater collaboration with industry leadership
and certificate users.
shouldering their responsibilities but expressed
concerns for the domestic RMI sector, pointing out
that on-site control is often not practical to
independently verify and that design detailing
needs close attention. “These questions of
workmanship control and uncontrolled value
engineering warrant industry leadership attention,
and clearly a focus on domestic RMI is called for,”
added Prof Hewlett.
www.bbacerts.co.uk/getinvolved/
BACK BUILDERS TO MEET NET ZERO TARGETS
Climate change targets won’t be delivered construction training; and introduce ‘building
unless the home improvements market is renovation passports’ to provide more information
overhauled, according to a new report
to householders about making their homes more
‘Building on our Strengths’, published jointly energy efficient.
by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB)
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of
and the Centre for Research into Energy
Master Builders, said: “It is not possible to achieve
Demand Solutions (CREDS).
net zero carbon emissions by 2050 without
The report calls on the Government to work with greening our homes. This report places builders’
builders, their supply chains and other groups to voices at the heart of solutions to the green homes
transform the £29bn per year home improvements challenge. Backing builders will help create
market so that energy retrofit, the means to cut a thousands of jobs in every community, helping us to
building’s energy consumption, is integrated into build back better from the coronavirus pandemic.
every appropriate project.
Berry concluded: “In the year that the UK hosts the
It calls for five key recommendations: Update the United Nations Climate Change Conference in
Building Regulations to mandate more energy Glasgow, the Government must commit to longterm
policy that unlocks energy retrofit at scale and
efficient properties; Cut VAT on all home
improvement works to 5% to reduce the cost of transforms a broken market. That includes bringing
building works; Introduce a licence to trade for forward the rest of the £9.2 billion committed in the
building firms to increase consumer confidence and manifesto at the forthcoming Spending Review to
promote high-quality construction; Incorporate a pump prime the market.”
foundation course on buildings and energy into all www.fmb.org.uk
SIG UK ANNOUNCES
CHARITY PARTNERS
SIG UK, the country’s leading supplier of
specialist building materials, has
announced the two main charities it will
be supporting as part of its 2021/22
fundraising initiatives.
Half of all money raised across the next year
will be donated to Cancer Research UK, the
world’s leading independent cancer charity.
In addition, 25% of fundraising proceeds will
go to the Rainy Day Trust, Britain’s only
charity which supports the home
improvement workforce and their families in
times of need. The remaining quarter of the
money raised will be shared with smaller,
local charities nationwide. SIG employees will
be participating in a wide range of
philanthropic activities, from sporting
challenges to mountain hikes, supporting a
variety of worthwhile causes.
www.sigplc.com/about-us
8 TC AUGUST 2021

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Industry News
ROOFING MOVES
AND APPOINTMENTS
The Metal Cladding and
Roofing Manufacturers
Association (MCRMA) has
elected Clare Fenton as its
new chairperson.
Clare is the first woman to hold the office
since the MCRMA’s formation 31 years ago,
she has more than 20 years’ experience in
the construction industry, and alongside her
husband developed Mark Fenton Design
Services, a specialist drawing office for the
roofing and cladding sector.
Commenting on her new role, Clare said: “I
am honoured by this appointment within the
MCRMA and proud to be a part of this highly
respected organisation.”
The Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) has
appointed Jon Vanstone as
Chair of the Interim Industry
Competence Committee (IICC),
which will advise on and support the work
being undertaken by Government to
establish the Building Safety Regulator
(BSR).
The Industry Competence Committee (ICC) is
one of three advisory committees provided
for in the draft Building Safety Bill, which will
deliver advice to the BSR and the industry on
all competence-related matters.
Jon explained: “I have a firm belief that the
ICC is the best way that the construction
industry can develop a consistent approach
to raising competency standards, that will
support the Building Safety Regulator in
improving the design, construction and
management of buildings to ensure that
people can live safely and comfortably in
their homes.”
More news, updates and interviews at www.total-contractor.co.uk
KNAUF STEPS UP TO NET ZERO CHALLENGE
Knauf Insulation has been
stricter ‘real performance’
selected as a net zero
standards. We look forward to
‘Business Champion’ by the
working with our partners
Construction Leadership
across the supply chain to
Council and Department for
create a built environment
Business, Energy and
that’s fit for the future.”
Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for the CO2nstructZero
Established earlier this year, CO2nstruct Zero is the
initiative.
construction industry’s zero carbon change
It joins a select group of major contractors, programme. Business Champions are required to
consultants, architects, engineers, manufacturers share tangible evidence of the steps they are taking
and sub-contractors committed to demonstrating to respond to the net zero carbon challenge, and to
leadership and promoting best practice to reduce commit to sharing data and learnings with the
construction carbon emissions.
industry.
“Net zero is a colossal challenge, and to achieve it “Improved insulation will be at the heart of UK
will require unprecedented collaboration” said Neil construction’s efforts to decarbonise, but
Hargreaves, MD, Knauf Insulation Northern Europe. operational carbon is only one side of the equation,”
“As the biggest supplier of insulation into newbuild said Hargreaves. “To create genuinely low-carbon
homes in the UK, and the nation’s only
buildings, we’ll need to create them using lowcarbon
materials. That’s why we’re taking bold
manufacturer of both Glass and Rock Mineral Wool,
we know we have an important role to play. action now to reduce the embodied carbon and
Especially as the industry transitions towards much environmental impact of our products.”
FURTHER COLLABORATION FOR BBA
The British Board of Agrément continues to drive and the wider industry.
forward its ambition for greater industry
The BBA already works with a number of i3P
collaboration and innovation by joining forces
members and wishes to continue building strong
with i3P, the Infrastructure Industry Innovation
relationships with like-minded organisations and
Partnership.
expand awareness of the importance of third party
The BBA and i3P have a shared vision of
certification and product testing.
transforming the built environment through working
BBA Technical Director Professor Bill
with – and uniting – clients and supply
Hewlett (left) said: “We believe in the
chain organisations to facilitate change,
importance of driving innovation to
champion innovation and ultimately drive
create a safer, smarter, more efficient
up quality.
built environment, and we are thrilled to
Joining i3P is said to be the logical next-step
be joining forces with others in our
for the BBA, which recently joined the National marketplace that share that vision.
Home Improvement Council, Local Council Roads
Innovation Group and the Association of Directors of “Innovation has always been at the heart of the
Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport with BBA, our particular contribution being to certify
the aim of building partnerships to share knowledge, new products so that designers and asset owners
expertise and best practice for the benefit of clients can use them with confidence.”
10 TC AUGUST 2021

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Industry News
More news, updates and interviews at www.total-contractor.co.uk
ROOFING MOVES
AND APPOINTMENTS
RoofCERT has appointed
Matt Dawson as its
Commercial Manager.
This new role was created to help
drive the programme to reach the ambitious
target of accrediting 2,000 roofing
operatives. Commenting on his appointment,
Matt Dawson said: “I am delighted to be
starting this position at such an exciting time
for the RoofCERT scheme. Having worked
previously in the insurance side of
construction, I know the importance of
upskilling and continuous development in
ensuring quality.
The Construction Products
Association (CPA) has
appointed Sarah Spink, CEO
of the LRWA, to its board.
Sarah said: “I’m honoured to have
been asked to join the CPA board at a time
when the construction industry is going through
transformational change. The CPA is helping to
encourage collaboration across the sector,
which is driving important initiatives following
the Grenfell tragedy, including the Code for
Construction Product Information (CCPI).”
Sharon Llewellyn of JPR
Roofing and Flooring, Vice
Chair of NFRC Midlands
Region, and Chair of the
NFRC Safety, Health and
Environmental Committee, has been
appointed as Chair of the CITB England
National Council.
Sharon will work alongside the other CITB
Council members in each nation to support
the CITB Board. She will be responsible for
providing insight into industry challenges
across different regions and sectors, and will
act as a sounding board for CITB trustees.
NEW ROOFING KNOWLEDGE HUB LAUNCHED
Hambleside Danelaw has announced a new The company says it has seen fantastic
initiative to help fill the skills gap in roofing. attendance for the online CPD sessions it has
offered over the last year, and the company
The company says the new Hambleside Danelaw
believes that rolling out these courses will allow
Hub will be a centre of knowledge which can be
for personal and professional development.
completed anywhere with an internet connection.
So, whether you need to know the airflow of an
Hambleside Danelaw says it has always cared
eaves vent, or how Zenon rooflights let light in,
about educating and improving the awareness of
Hambleside Danelaw says its new Hub will offer
various aspects of the roofing industry, and with
the solution.
the high demand for construction services,
combined with the lack of subject experts, now is
The learning process
the perfect opportunity to help educate a nation of
The courses will be accessible on a platform
roofers.
specifically designed for the materials in
Learners will be able to register their interest to production, from video to presentations.
be allocated a space on one of the courses, and
At the end of certain courses, learners will be able
they will gain access to a wealth of materials that
to take a test to ensure their personal and
will teach or refresh their knowledge. Upon
professional development. Upon passing, they will
passing the course, learners will be able to
be able to download a certificate as well as move
download a certificate.
on to other courses.
Hambleside Danelaw says it plans to release a
variety of courses from all three of its divisions: What next?
The Hambleside Danelaw Hub will be open to
• Danelaw manufacture roofing and ventilation
learners at the start of September 2021, and the
accessories;
company says it will publish the full list of
• Dryseal produce a GRP waterproofing system courses available in the next few weeks. Those
for flat and low pitched roofs;
looking to enrol on the various courses, or who
simply want to hear more about the Hambleside
• Zenon manufacture a range of GRP rooflights
Hub, can find out more by visiting the website:
which can be used to light up commercial and
industrial properties.
www.hambleside-danelaw.co.uk/hub-info/
12 TC AUGUST 2021

Innovation
unlocked
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Industry News
STRONG DEBUT PERFORMANCE FOR PERMAROOF COMMERCIAL
Within its debut year PermaRoof Commercial,
part of PermaGroup, says it has secured
several major contracts across the sector,
including its recent appointment as a
specification supplier for a bespoke
architect’s ‘House on Stilts’ in Bevere.
After “dominating” the domestic EPDM rubber flat
roofing market for the past two decades, the UK’s
leading importer and distributor of Firestone
RubberCover expanded into the commercial sector
in December 2020. Since then, the commercial
arm is said to have successfully secured or
completed 20 tenders and specifications on a
whole host of different projects across the UK,
with a further 37 in the pipeline for the remainder
of 2021. Having almost completed a
four-product solution at St Andrews
in Northampton, PermaRoof says it
is now making progress on a private
school 3000m² installation.
Sunny Lotay (pictured), national commercial
manager, said: “It’s fantastic to see just how far
PermaRoof Commercial has come in the first seven
months. The scale and volume of the different
tenders we’ve undertaken goes to prove that there’s
not only an increasing demand for our services and
specification support, but also reflects the value of
our expertise throughout the industry.”
He says PermaRoof’s diversification formed part
of the firm’s strategy to increase and deliver
large-scale installations, which has
already been bolstered by a number
of projects – including the
announcement of a 500m² Firestone
RubberGard EPDM installation at
Imperial College, London.
Adrian Buttress, MD, said: “After having
specialised in Firestone membranes for more than
17 years, I’m thrilled to see PermaRoof
Commercial already forging such a strong
reputation in such a short space of time. The
calibre of tenders Sunny and his team are winning
is a real testament to this and I’ve no doubt that
this is just the beginning of a really exciting
venture for PermaRoof.”
KNAUF INSULATION: TECHNICAL COLUMN
BEST PRACTICE FOR INSULATING A CAVITY WALL
Product choice and installation can affect thermal performance, so this month Bradley Hirst,
Technical Services Manager from Knauf Insulation, looks at best practice for insulating cavity walls.
Always use a product certified for the
application:
In England and Wales, cavity walls must be
insulated to achieve the thermal performance
outlined in Approved Document L of the Building
Regulations, while Approved Document C, which
addresses the issue of moisture, states that cavity
wall insulation must have third-party certification
or European technical approval for the application.
In the UK, this means insulation must have a BBA
certificate for use in cavity walls, such as Knauf
Insulation DriTherm Cavity Slab.
The benefits of a full-fill solution:
There are two options for insulating a cavity wall;
full-fill, which completely fills the cavity with
Mineral Wool insulation, and partial-fill, which
leaves an air gap between the insulation and the
internal leaf. Fully filling the cavity can provide
thermal benefits over a partial-fill solution
because there is no air movement in the cavity.
Mineral Wool has other benefits over insulants
typically used for partial-fill solutions. Unlike rigid
boards, it adapts to imperfections in the substrate
making it easier to install correctly, eliminating
the gaps that can reduce thermal, fire safety and
acoustic performance. It is also non-combustible,
and if the cavity is fully filled, additional fire
barriers are not required to maintain fire safety,
which reduces costs and speeds up installation.
Use the correct thickness of insulation:
Full-fill insulation solutions must be in intimate
contact with both masonry leaves, so always use a
Mineral Wool slab that is the same thickness as the
cavity (i.e. a 100mm thick slab for a 100mm cavity).
Using a thinner insulation slab won’t fully fill the
cavity, so won’t deliver the required thermal
performance. Similarly, using a slab that is thicker
than the cavity means the insulation is
compressed during installation, which also
reduces thermal performance. Once installed, the
insulation will try to recover its natural thickness
and can dislodge masonry when the mortar is
wet, forcing the wall out of alignment.
Either way, the installation won’t meet the
standards determined by the BBA certification or
the Building Regulations.
Protect insulation from the elements:
The British weather does mean there might be
downpours during construction. Mineral Wool
designed for external applications, such as cavity
walls, contains a water repellent additive, but you
must cover the cavity during heavy rain or at the
end of the day to protect the insulation.
Mineral Wool that has become saturated should
not be used. However, if it gets damp during
construction, it will recover its full thermal, fire
and acoustic performance once it dries out.
www.knaufinsulation.co.uk
14 TC AUGUST 2021

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NFRC Roofing Focus
WE ALL NEED TO PLAY OUR PART TO
CHANGE THE IMAGE OF ROOFING
With the roofing sector making the national press for all the wrong reasons once again,
James Talman, CEO of NFRC, says if we want to change the image of our industry, we all
must do our part...
My heart sank when I read that the
England fan who drank 20 ciders,
snorted cocaine, put a flare up his
backside and then stormed Wembley for the
Euros final was a roofer. The young man, who will
remain nameless here, later boasted of his stunt
and was mostly remorseless. Whilst this man is
by no means representative of the tens of
thousands of roofers in this country, it certainly
doesn’t help with promoting our industry’s
reputation as a professional sector.
Sadly, this type of story isn’t unique. A quick
search on Google News for the term ‘roofer’
brings up mostly negative stories covering
everything from assault to benefit fraud, drink
driving and even abuse of police officers. If this is
what the general public is reading about our
industry, is it any wonder that parents and
teachers discourage young people from becoming
roofers?
The German way
It doesn’t have to be this way. Last year, I
interviewed Ulrich Marx, CEO of the German
Roofing Contractors Association (ZDVH), for our
podcast, about the German model for roofing,
which is often cited as the gold standard in our
industry. Marx told me that in Germany, the norm
is for all roofers to go through a three-year
apprenticeship, then many will go onto further
studies to complete a Masters level qualification
and become a ‘Dachdecker Meister’ (Master
Roofer). If you wish to start a roofing company in
Germany, you must have a Meister qualification.
As a result, roofers tend to be held in much
higher regard by their community.
Whilst it is unlikely we would ever
adopt a model exactly like that
here in the UK, there are
definitely many things we can
learn from it. The biggest
takeaway for me was the
importance they place on training and
apprenticeships. In England, we now have a
relatively new trailblazer apprenticeship in the
roofing industry, and until 30th September,
employers can receive an incentive payment of
£3,000 if they take a new apprentice on (they do
not need to start until 30th November 2021). If
you haven’t made the most of this opportunity,
make sure you do so before the deadline. If you
do take on an apprentice or currently have one,
NFRC will soon be an End
Point Assessment Organisation
(EPAO) and will be able to
assess apprentices at the end
of their apprenticeship.
Demonstrating skills and
competence
The other key factor in
Germany’s success is that not
just anyone can call
themselves a roofer – you
have to demonstrate skills and
competence to earn that title. That is what we
hope to achieve with RoofCERT accreditation.
RoofCERT was developed following calls from the
industry to help professionalise the sector, allowing
good roofers to differentiate themselves from the
rest, promote upskilling and attract new people.
However, even now we have the accreditation
scheme in place, having made it as easy as
RoofCERT: “We need the industry to get behind the
scheme for it to be successful.”
“Is it any
wonder that
parents and
teachers
discourage young
people from becoming
roofers?”
possible for people to complete it, and CITB
having provided funding for 2,000 places, we
have been disappointed by the slow uptake.
We’ve had good support from industry
stakeholders, but wouldn’t it be great to have this
level of support from the
industry itself? This is our
chance to help
professionalise the sector,
but we need the industry
to get behind the scheme
for it to be successful —
otherwise, we’ll be back to
square one.
Germany shows what is
possible for us as an
industry in terms of our
reputation. We are facing
a chronic skills shortage, and as more and more
roofers retire, we must change the image of the
industry. We all need to do our part – the question
is, what will you do?
Contact NFRC
www.nfrc.co.uk
@TheNFRC
Left: James Talman, NFRC.
16 TC AUGUST 2021

We’ve been busy with some
building of our own.
Historically and globally the EJOT Group policy has always been to
reinvest success into achievable, manageable growth.
EJOT in the UK is no different. Last autumn we began a reinvestment
programme that will not only increase our manufacturing, logistics and
R&D capability, but will focus on our people – not least the engineers,
developers and technicians of tomorrow.
It’s a milestone that can only be maintained by building on the foundations
of service and product quality that have brought us this far.
Manufacturing in Yorkshire and exporting to the world, EJOT UK is proud to
support innovation and ambition in a unique way.
Tomorrow’s challenges, solved today.
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EJOT® The Quality Connection

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We’ve further upgraded
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so you get even more
product per pack or pallet.
That means more efficient storage,
handling and transport, and less
packaging too.
Just one of the changes we’ve made
to our range this year to make it
better for you, better for the world.
Find out more:
knaufinsulation.co.uk/the-best-keeps-getting-better
THE BEST KEEPS
GETTING BETTER

Heath & Safety
ROOFERS MUST REMAIN VIGILANT TO
THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF THE SUN
As is now widely known, continued exposure to the sun without taking sensible
precautions can have serious consequences in terms of a person’s long-term health.
Roofers are particularly at risk when temperatures soar and shade is hard to come by,
which is why Sika has provided a reminder of safety measures workers ought to be
taking when toiling outdoors.
Working outside increases the risk of
developing skin cancer caused by over
exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV)
rays. In the UK, 1,700 people are diagnosed with
the condition each year, with around 60 of these
diagnosed cases proving fatal.
Although those with fair or freckled skin and
people with a large number of moles are most
susceptible to skin cancer – or malignant
melanoma – anyone who regularly neglects to
cover up when the sun is at its highest is at risk.
Indeed, the sun doesn’t need to be visible to be
damaging. Up to 80% of its UV rays can pierce
the clouds, so even if we’re not basking in an
undiluted solar blaze, we are not immune to its
burn.
Be prepared
Just as we would prepare for a cold, rainy day on
site by wearing thermals and waterproofs, we
should ensure we’re appropriately dressed for
brighter days. On hot, sunny occasions, apparel
that offers good sun protection whilst conforming
to the usual health and safety standards is a
must. Long-sleeved tops and bottoms made from
closely-knit materials and breathable fabrics in
darker colours are thought to offer the best UV
protection. Come rain or shine, hard hats are a
site essential, but in summer months workers are
advised to accessorise their headgear with a
cloth or a longer piece of material. This should be
fitted beneath the hat to protect ears and the
neck area.
“The wristbands are a simple gesture which aims
to make a serious point about the dangers our
customers face in not taking proper precautions
when working outside this summer”
When working at high levels, the sun’s glare can
be detrimental to the eyes in the long-term; its
reflection off surfaces for extended periods of
time making life particularly uncomfortable. To
counteract this, shades or tinted glasses that
offer UVB and UVA protection should be worn.
Wraparound glasses that cover more of the face
offer the best protection. They have the added
bonus of being considered something of a fashion
statement, thus keeping the wearer safe and
looking cool – a win-win situation if ever there
was one!
Sunscreen is an obvious antidote to sunburn and
the associated long-term risks. A high factor
lotion which offers a minimum of SP15 protection
should be applied to exposed skin and reapplied
every two hours. Skin needs time to absorb
sunscreen, therefore workers should allow 20
minutes post-lotion application before heading
outside. Remaining hydrated is also crucial to
staying safe in the sun. Again, this is not easily
achieved when working on a roof, so for
convenience – and safety’s sake, operatives
should keep a filled water bottle with them at all
20 TC AUGUST 2021

times and with the sun’s UV rays at
their most potent between 10am and
4pm, ensure lunch and tea break
times are taken in the shade.
Wristband initiative
Whatever the weather, personal
responsibility plays a large part in
keeping individuals safe. No amount
of warnings or safety advice will
suffice if somebody is set on soaking
up the sun regardless of the longterm
consequences – be aware though, lengthy,
unprotected exposure to the sun can also
significantly age your skin.
Therefore, as a reminder for our clients to take
care in the sun this summer whilst on site, at
Sika we have issued them with branded UV
wristbands. These smart, unobtrusive items alert
the wearer when they have undergone too much
UV exposure by changing colour. As an additional
“When it comes to
sunshine, you really
can have too much of a
good thing”
protective measure, we are also providing free
sunscreen for operatives.
Steve Jasper, a Field Technician at Sika, said the
Sika UV wristbands and sun cream had been
warmly received by customers: “One
fitter told me we’d provided him with
the industry’s number one roofing
membrane, therefore the sun cream
was an added bonus. He was very
appreciative of the fact that Sika
products not only protect your roof, but
our field teams are focused on
protecting the people that install them.
It was extremely pleasing to hear such
a reaction.”
The wristbands are a simple gesture which aims
to make a serious point about the dangers our
customers face in not taking proper precautions
when working outside this summer. Because
when it comes to sunshine, you really can have
too much of a good thing.
Contact Sika
www.sika.co.uk/roofing
@SikaLimited
For furt
ther inf ormation
or a hire quotation call
Email: sales@co
oker
erhire.com
www.cooke
erhire.com
AUGUST 2021 TC 21

Perfectly Pitched
COMMON ROOFING MISTAKES
AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
In the latest instalment of his regular column, Technical Roofing Consultant John Mercer
addresses some of the common pitched roofing mistakes with regards to design and poor
installation, and explains how these can be avoided...
During my career inspecting roofs and
problem solving, I have come across
many recurring faults and mistakes.
Some are design-related and others are simply
due to poor installation. However, they all have
the potential to cause a roof failure, whether that
be rainwater ingress, wind damage or simply an
unacceptable appearance.
“Avoid designs where
water is discharged
from a higher roof
slope onto small lower
roof areas, or into
another junction such
as a side abutment”
Design
A good roof must start with good design. Ideally, a
roof should be designed with the roof tiles in
mind, considering factors such as roof pitch,
detailing and rafter length.
Avoid designs where water is discharged from a
higher roof slope onto small lower roof areas, or
into another junction such as a side abutment. If
practical, design the building to break up the roof
into smaller sections. For example, allow the
upper roof to shed directly into a gutter, rather
than onto a lower roof. When building a lean-to
extension, do not be tempted to drain the gutter of
the main roof onto the extension roof through a
down pipe. Extension roofs, by their nature, may
have quite a low roof pitch, therefore the tiling
can be overwhelmed by water being discharged
from the roof above in a point load.
Overly long rafter lengths can
be a problem, particularly
when using single lap flat
tiles at low pitches. Tile
manufacturers give maximum
recommended rafter lengths for
their products, with guidance on
increasing the roof pitch for long rafter
lengths. Roof tiles are subjected to rigorous winddriven
rain testing in wind tunnels and on roof
rigs that usually simulate a 6 or 7 metre rafter
length. Therefore, if a rafter length is longer than
this, there is a risk of water ingress through the
tiling, particularly in the tile courses near the
eaves.
Underlay
It is often assumed that rainwater should never
penetrate the roof tiles. This is generally true for
perhaps 99% of the time, but there is always the
risk, particularly during a heavy storm, that rain
may be driven through the tiles. Condensation
may also develop occasionally in the batten
cavity (the space between the tiles and underlay).
Therefore, underlay must act as a second line of
defence, as well as making the building
weathertight before the tiles are installed. A
common mistake is to lay the underlay too tight,
i.e. without a drape. Any water in the batten
cavity then becomes trapped behind the battens
and cannot flow toward the gutters. Where this
happens, there is a risk that water will penetrate
through the batten nail holes. Where the underlay
is laid unsupported over the rafters, it must have
enough drape to allow water to drain under the
Left: John Mercer, Technical Roofing
Consultant.
battens, up to a maximum
drape of 15mm. Alternatively,
consider the use of nail tape
and counterbattens. Nail tape
seals between the underlay and
battens, and counterbattens encourage
air flow within the batten cavity and provide a
gap for any water to flow under the tile battens.
The underlay must also be installed to be
weathertight at junctions such as side
abutments, valleys and around roof windows and
chimneys, by turning the underlay up against
abutments and lapping over valley sides.
“Another detail prone
to incorrect
installation is the
eaves – it is common to
see the first tiling
course set at the wrong
angle”
Eaves
Another detail prone to incorrect installation is the
eaves. Firstly, it is common to see the first tiling
course set at the wrong angle; if using double
lapped plain tiles, then it is permissible to have a
‘sprocketed’ or ‘bellcast’ eaves provided that the
tiles within the sprocketed section are laid at or
above their minimum recommended roof pitch.
For single lap tiles, BS 5534 recommends that
22 TC AUGUST 2021

Above: Eaves detail illustration. Above: Lead valley detail. Above:Side abutment detail.
“Valleys are one of the most likely areas of a roof
to fail because water is directed into a valley
from the adjacent roof planes – they are also one
of the most likely details to be constructed
incorrectly”
the tiles are not sprocketed at eaves and should
be set at the same angle as the general tiling
above. Single lap roof tiles rely on their headlaps
to be set correctly, therefore a sprocket will run
the risk of leakage through the headlaps.
It is common to find that the underlay is not
supported behind the fascia or tilt fillet, creating a
‘trough’ in the underlay in which water can
collect. If water pools behind the fascia, it will
find its way through any cuts or holes and
eventually rot the underlay, causing leaks.
Therefore, the underlay must be properly
supported at the eaves, with adequate fall,
behind the fascia or tilt fillet using proprietary
underlay support trays.
Lead valleys
Valleys are one of the most likely areas of a roof
to fail because water is directed into a valley from
the adjacent roof planes. Unfortunately, they are
also one of the most likely details to be
constructed incorrectly. There is a common
misconception that the mortar in a valley is there
to seal it. But think of plain tile or slate valleys
that are installed without mortar. When
constructing a lead valley, it is important to install
tile battens to create upstands in the lead each
side of the valley. The lead valley lining can then
be dressed over the upstands, with a clear gap
between the mortar and upstand and its outer
edges finished in a welt, thus providing two
defences against water ingress.
The valley tiles must not be mortar-bedded
directly onto the lead; lead expands and contracts
with changes in temperature, therefore mortar
must be laid onto an undercloak of slate or fibre
cement board to allow differential movement
between the lead and undercloak.
Side abutments
Side abutments must be constructed to suit the
tile type they are being used with. For example,
individually soakers should be used with double
lapped plain tiles and cover flashings are fine for
profiled single lapped tiles. But a common
mistake is to use a cover flashing solely with
single lap flat tiles. Without a tile profile, or some
form of upstand in the tile shape, water can
penetrate between a flat tile and the cover
flashing. Therefore, it is important to install a
lead-lined secret gutter or proprietary soakers.
Ideally, if using a secret gutter or continuous GRP
soaker, a step and cover flashing should also be
installed to prevent debris getting into the water
channel and clogging it over time.
Fixing specification
Lastly, but just as important, is the tile fixing
specification. There are still roofs being installed
without a wind load calculation having been
carried out. Tile manufacturers can supply written
fixing specifications for a project. This service is
free and generally available as an instant online
service.
In summary:
• Make sure the roof design is correct and
appropriate for the chosen roof tile.
• Install the underlay to provide a continuous
waterproof layer.
• Ensure the eaves course tiles are set at or
above the minimum recommended roof pitch
and do not use a sprocket detail with single lap
tiles.
• Take care with lead valleys to install upstands
and welts to protect against water ingress.
• Use the side abutment detail appropriate for
the roof tiles.
• Make sure you obtain a written
manufacturer’s fixing specification for each
project.
Have you got a pitched roofing query or topic you’d like
John to address? Email mattdowns@media-now.co.uk
or contact John on the details below:
Contact John Mercer
www.johnmercerconsultant.co.uk
@Johnmercer3
AUGUST 2021 TC 23

Roofing Competency
IMPROVING SAFETY & SECURITY
With new regulations putting building safety in the spotlight, Stuart Nicholson, Roof
Systems Director at Marley, discusses the measures contractors can take to reduce risk
and ensure the long-term security of pitched roofs.
The publication of the Building Safety Bill, on
5th July 2021, brings the biggest changes to
building safety regulations in a generation.
It ensures safety is considered at every stage of a
building’s development and gives residents more
power to hold builders and developers to account.
While the Bill focuses on high rise buildings, it
will also ensure high standards of safety in all
homes. As part of the proposals, the Government
is doubling the amount of time – from six to 15
years – that residents can seek compensation for
substandard construction work. In addition, there
will be a new regulator to ensure homes are built
from safe materials.
For the pitched roofing sector, safety and security
has always been a priority and over the past
seven years, roofing standards have been made
far more stringent with the introduction of the
revised BS 5534 and the Dry Fix Standard, BS
8612. This has already had a positive impact on
the overall security of pitched roofs.
However, Building Regulations and British
Standards are updated frequently, so it is
important for roofing contractors to regularly
review roof safety and security practices, to make
sure they are in line with the latest guidance.
Below, we look at some of the key areas to
consider when it comes to ensuring the long-term
safety and security of pitched roofs.
1. Always install roofs to the BS 5534:2014
+A2:2018 standard, as this was revised to
help make roofs safe and secure against
extreme weather. This also applies if you are
working on an extension and if you are replacing
more than 25% of a roof area.
2. Get a new fixing specification for every
project, even if it is like a roof
you have installed before. This
will ensure the roof meets BS
5534 requirements and that it
has the right fixings for the level of
exposure. You can quickly obtain free
fixings specifications via the tool on the
Marley website (www.marley.co.uk/fixingspec), or
by calling our technical team on 01283 722588.
3. Check roof fire barriers used in semidetached,
terraced housing and flats. When a
roof is compartmentalised for terraced and semidetached
housing, fire stopping is required
between the top of the party wall and the roof
covering. Yet separate reports from the BRE and
BBC Watchdog have raised concerns that some
modern homes could have inadequate, incorrectly
installed and, in some cases, no fire barriers. This
increases the risk that fire could spread rapidly
through roof voids from one home to the next.
Part of the problem is that fire stopping is often
achieved with a flexible mineral fibre quilt or
sock, but a potential fire passage still exists at
the line of the roofing battens, above the rafters,
which can span across the junction between
properties. There are fire barriers available on the
market to close these gaps but feedback from
contractors is that these can be difficult to install
in line with the roof tiles.
However, we have recently launched our own
easy-to-install fire barrier to give contractors
peace of mind that it is fitted correctly. Roof
Defence features two strips of intumescent
material bonded at 90 degrees, with an inverted T
design, that can simply be installed under tiles
and between roof battens to close all gaps in the
event of fire.
Left: Stuart Nicholson, Marley.
4. Check roofing battens are
BS 5534 compliant. Roofing
battens are an important
structural and load bearing element.
In addition, BS 5534 graded battens can be
used as a secure foothold during installation, so it
would only take a single batten failure to have
serious consequences.
Don’t assume that because a product is sold as a
roofing batten that it meets BS 5534
requirements. Buy from a trusted brand and
check each batten is indelibly marked with the
supplier, origin, size, and BS 5534 stamp. If you
have any doubt at all, check with the
manufacturer.
5. If you are working to a prescribed
specification do not change it. If you change
any element you could potentially be liable if
something goes wrong with the roof, even if it is
years later. If you need to change a specification
for any reason, speak with the architect or client
and obtain written instructions.
6. Consider buying a full roof system from a
trusted manufacturer. This will reduce your risk
and ensure compatibility, high quality, safety and
compliance with British Standards. Our roof
system includes choice of roof covering, battens,
underlay, fixings and accessories, as well as the
option to add a fire barrier and integrated solar
PV, all backed up with a 15-year warranty for
extra peace of mind (subject to correct
installation).
Contact Marley
www.marley.co.uk
@MarleyLtd
24 TC AUGUST 2021

Total Talk: Tom Forsyth
“WE NEED TO BE CREATIVE AND
FOCUS ON WHAT IS POSSIBLE”
Total Contractor puts the questions to Tom Forsyth, Sika UK’s General Manager,
discussing his path into roofing, his plans for the company, contractors and competency
and – inevitably – the supply chain issues and pressures currently affecting the sector.
TC: Can you tell us a bit about your career and
path to your current role as General Manager
of Sika UK
TF: I have worked in the construction industry for
40 years with the past 29 years at Sika. I started
out in the RMC industry before moving to Sika in
a technical role and then frontline sales and
managing sales teams. I then worked in product
management including R&D, product
development and launch, before progressing into
business unit management in Sika’s Target
Markets - Concrete and Waterproofing. A spell in
distribution with Everbuild was followed by a
Deputy General Manager role and now General
Manager of Sika UK.
Whilst you’re no doubt still settling into the
role, what are your key areas of focus to move
the company forward and assist customers?
The most important area is to ensure that we
keep our staff safe and then focus on our
customers. Innovation and sustainability are key
areas we are moving forward on as well as new
technology and investment for the future.
You’ve taken on the role at a time when it feels
like construction is in the midst of quite a
transformational change with regards to
competency, safety, products, and
collaboration throughout the supply chain –
what does that mean to you as GM of Sika UK
and how does it impact the organisation’s
relationships with customers?
Clearly it is a challenging time with the pandemic
and the current supply chain issues. The
availability of materials and the rising costs
require us to be creative and focus
on what is possible and how we
can support our loyal
customers. Partnerships and
mutual understanding are key
to us performing well with a
focus on innovation and new
ways of tackling the needs of the
marketplace. The customer experience is
changing and we need to bring forward new ways
of helping our customers.
In amongst all this change, roofing operatives
are having to perform a real balancing act to
meet the continued surge in workloads, whilst
lead times for products like timber, insulation
and other materials are at record lengths –
supply issues are a perennial problem, but
does this current situation feel different, and
if so, what needs to change?
The use of virtual technology for training is a clear
example of how we adapt, but we still require a
blend of this and practical work to ensure that we
train to a high standard. The rule book on
procurement has changed and it is now about
ensuring that we can secure what we need to
make our products whilst the R&D teams are
approving alternative materials to ensure that we
can maintain supply levels. It is really about
what can be supplied and swapping
technologies where possible to ensure that sites
can continue.
As mentioned earlier – competency seems to
be driving the government’s push to raise
standards within the built environment. With
regards to roofing operatives, how do you
Tom Forsyth, General manager, Sika UK.
ensure Sika’s products and
systems are installed
correctly?
Sika is a manufacturer and
supplier of an enormous range of
flat roofing systems to the UK
roofing market. In order to operate at the
premium end of the marketplace, we have to offer
systems which are comprised of different
waterproofing components. Beyond that, we offer
guarantees for those systems which we believe
are the best in the industry, both in terms of
duration but most importantly the levels of cover
for the end user.
When we offer these enhanced levels of cover,
we must check that the roof is installed by
trained operatives, in the correct way. Not only at
the end of the project, but at all stages of the
project.
Here at Sika, we have 24 members of our
applications team. This team is responsible for
ensuring that the Sika products are installed by
trained operatives, in line with our guidelines and
industry standards. All of the team are highly
skilled themselves, so are able to quickly and
efficiently recognise issues with installation and
also offer creative and innovative solutions to our
installing partners.
In 2020, even during the pandemic, we still
carried out over 6,000 individual site visits to
projects. Additionally, we typically train around
750 individual operatives on our systems per year
in our bespoke training academies. This shows
26 TC AUGUST 2021

the level of emphasis we place on ensuring that
quality remains the primary goal.
With an eye on competency, RoofCERT, the
roofing sector’s accreditation scheme, is
building momentum and puts roofing ahead of
many other sectors when it comes to
accreditation – what are your thoughts on the
RoofCERT scheme, and what needs to happen
to push it forward further? Is there a role for
manufacturers and suppliers to play?
We will support initiatives that involve upskilling
and certifying our diverse installer network. All
manufacturers should play a part in ensuring that
quality and standards are maintained.
Has the way you interact with contractors
changed over the last year or so? – you
recently launched the Sika Knowledge Centre
which looks like an interesting tool.
Indeed, we are very excited. We realise it is our
responsibility to ensure our customers have
access to the right levels of technical support and
information. Our Knowledge Centre is a case in
point. Our customers can register for upcoming
CPDs, view the library of CPDs as well as access
our product and application e-learnings. It is so
simple to access, and we have a programme of
adding additional content on a frequent basis. We
are also going to be adding ‘how to’ guides as well.
As mentioned, it’s been quite a turbulent time
for the supply chain, do you feel roofing
contractors make the most of the
manufacturer support that is available?
After a couple of years of extreme uncertainty
surrounding all aspects of UK construction, we have
become used to dealing with a variety of challenges
which affect our network of roofing contractors.
These businesses range from national PLC
contractors to family-owned companies, and
what is really evident is that they all face different
challenges. There are ways we can help each
other by simply having regular contact, from
forecasting material requirements to managing
credit and payment terms. We need to simply
keep talking to each other, as often as possible.
Looking to the future, it’s
going to be an exciting but
challenging time with
regards to reducing
carbon emissions and
meeting sustainability
targets in the built
environment – but we’ve
also seen failed initiatives
such as the Green Homes
Grant. Do you feel there needs to be
better dialogue between government and
construction for future green schemes?
Collaboration with all stakeholders is vital for
effective and efficient transformation. As such,
Sika works with trade associations like the
Construction Products Association (CPA) when
engaging with the government, to ensure a
joined-up approach that reflects cross-industry
experiences. We are also working with bodies
such as the UK-Green Building Council (UK-
GBC), which Sika has been a member of since
2012, and at a corporate level with the World
Business Council for Sustainable Development
(WBCSD) to further engagement.
With sustainability in mind, Sika has recently
launched a new range of green roof systems
(pictured above) – should the government do
more to incentivise green roof installations?
In June, Sika joined a Business Coalition lead by
the UK-GBC in writing to the Prime Minister
calling for him to ensure that the new Planning
Bill directly aligns with the obligations under the
Climate Change Act and proposals in the
Environment Bill for nature’s recovery. We and
more than 100 other prominent business leaders
believe that accelerating progress towards the UK
national net zero target, adapting to the impacts
of climate change, and reversing nature's decline
must be put at the heart of the new Planning Bill.
Urban Green Infrastructure, such as Green Roofs
and the Government’s response undoubtedly
have a significant part to play in this.
After what’s been a particularly challenging
16 months or so with regards to the pandemic
Contact Sika UK
– alongside challenges for
businesses with regards
to Brexit, such as supply
of materials and
cashflow – are there
reasons to be positive
within the roofing
sector and wider
construction industry going
forward?
I’m enormously excited about how the shape of
UK construction is moving even with everything
you mention above. We’re seeing more emphasis
being placed on sustainable methods of
construction, which can range from products
made from reusable resources to the introduction
of living products in our range, like green roofs.
Undoubtedly BREXIT and the pandemic had a
substantial impact on construction, but the
positive side of this is that it forced us to look at
things differently. To revaluate supply networks
and constantly be looking to be doing business in
a cleaner, faster and more efficient way.
It’s certainly been a busy time at Sika, but
what can we expect going forward? Any new
developments on the horizon?
With Sika’s Global R&D Centre for Liquid Roofing
based in the UK, our business is always operating
at the cutting edge. The novel chemistries
manufactured in Preston continue to establish
new benchmarks in both performance, safety and
sustainability. This technology is only available
from Sika and is increasingly being deployed
across the range. The release of products like
Sikalastic-625N demonstrate this progress and
the value of guiding innovation with a strong
commitment to longer term thinking. Going
forward, we have a lot to be excited about – our
power to deliver innovation from the UK business
wide has never been this strong.
www.sika.co.uk/roofing
@SikaLimited
AUGUST 2021 TC 27

Blue-Green Roofs
BUILDING A RESILIENT FUTURE: THE
ROLE OF BLUE-GREEN ROOFS
With new environmental legislation set to become law next
year, Nicholas Wright, of Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation,
looks at new roof-level innovations that will help contractors
create a more sustainable future.
As part of the UK’s aim to be net-zero
carbon by 2050, there is an increasing
focus on what developers and contractors
can do further to make our regions more resilient
to the long-term impact of climate change. This
responsibility has been made even more
pertinent as the Environment Bill comes to power
next year, bringing unprecedented reform to our
foremost environmental priorities.
In recognition of the growing pressure on
combined sewers as a result of population
growth, increased urban density and the
challenges we face as a direct result of climate
change such as increased rainfall and severe
flooding, one aspect of the Bill is the need for
water companies to publish data on storm
overflow operations on an annual basis.
For contractors and developers, this means that
there is likely to be increased pressure from
water companies and planning authorities to
further reduce stormwater discharge when
designing surface water management systems –
a challenge which, if considered in a creative and
holistic way could in fact be a catalyst to create
more sustainable, healthier and higher value
developments and address other aspects of the
upcoming Environmental Bill, namely Biodiversity
Net Gain (BNG).
Under the BNG policy, developers will need to
achieve a minimum of 10 per cent improvement
in biodiversity on or near a new build site to get
planning consent. These changes mean
developers should now re-evaluate how to
introduce green and resilient infrastructure to
ensure that projects comply with sustainable
drainage best practice and deliver an uplift in
biodiversity post-completion.
New alternatives
While conventional sustainable drainage systems
(SuDS), such as retention ponds, basins and
swales provide a route to manage excess run-off
rainwater brought about by extreme weather, they
often take up significant amounts of developable
space and limit the aesthetic and landscaping
options.
Blue-green roofs, however, offer a hybrid solution
bringing together the best of both worlds,
providing breakthrough stormwater attenuation
and re-use technology that transforms unused
spaces into havens for wildlife to flourish,
creating more resilient urban landscapes.
“Blue-green roofs offer a hybrid solution bringing
together the best of both worlds, providing
breakthrough stormwater attenuation and re-use
technology that transforms unused spaces into
havens for wildlife to flourish”
Blue-green roofs are designed to provide space to
store and re-use surface water at source.
Managing water in this way spreads storage
across a development, introducing urban greening
in a balanced way to maximise the biodiversity
benefit. Any water surplus flows, at a restricted
greenfield run-off rate, to a stormwater sewer.
Alternatively, surplus water can discharge into an
above or below ground rainwater recovery tank to
recharge the blue-green roof reservoir once
depleted, maximising the amount of collected
rainwater that can be used. And by combining the
reuse tank with smart systems, further reuse
efficiencies can be achieved.
The green element of a blue-green roof is planting
sustained by the captured and stored water. A
zero-energy passive irrigation system within the
attenuation void supplies water to the vegetation
above. Having access to these stored volumes
builds-in resilience, maintaining the plants
through extended dry spells and preserving the
roof’s ecosystem.
The benefits of this approach are many:
communities are surrounded by flourishing,
diverse wildlife – a recognised contributor to
better health and wellbeing – and developments
are naturally cooled, preventing the heat-island
effect and in turn, reduces air-conditioning energy
consumption.
Tools in action
Bringing this approach to life, recently, in
Manchester, contractors working on the
redevelopment of Bruntwood Works’ latest
Continued on page 30
28 TC AUGUST 2021

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Blue-Green Roofs
Continued from page 28
Pioneer building, Bloc (see below), have installed
a blue-green roof which will provide a greater
understanding of how new construction and data
technologies can help cities and urban
developments to mitigate the impact of climate
change and population growth, while enhancing
biodiversity.
Over the next two years, the ‘smart’ blue-green
roof, will be used to assess how storing and reusing
rainwater at roof level can reduce the
volume of surface run-off entering its sewer
network. As a result, it will help to lower the flood
risk associated with the prolonged high-intensity
storm events that are becoming increasingly
frequent as the climate changes.
Unlike conventional green roofs which use a
drainage layer to simply remove rainwater, the
525 sq m blue-green structure retrofitted to
Bloc’s flat roof stores rainwater beneath the
planted surface where it lands. Advanced passive
irrigation components within the attenuation layer
draw water up through the structure to the
underside of the green roof substrate to support
surface planting.
The breakthrough technology protects green areas
during periods of drought, reduces potable water
demand during hot weather and enhances
biodiversity by maintaining flora in optimum
growing conditions. In the case of Bloc, planting
has been specially selected from local varieties to
help attract pollinators and a particularly rare
butterfly, the Manchester Argus.
This net-zero re-use of water to sustain surface
planting is a new approach to water management
known as green urbanisation and represents the
next generation of SuDS – those which are
scalable and adaptable to any urban setting –
allowing high natural capital ecosystems to
flourish even through extreme weather conditions.
By utilising available space across the built
environment to both store rainwater and reuse it
to create and sustain urban green assets,
developers can deliver a wide range of
multifunctional benefits, enriching the
biodiversity, health and wellbeing of the
communities in which they are established for
generations to come. And by choosing solutions
which divert stormwater away from sewers, such
as blue-green roofs, contractors and their
knowledge of green urbanisation will also become
integral to the ways in which water authorities
and town planners design our cities of the future.
Contact Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation
www.polypipe.com
@PolypipeTrade
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Fastening Solutions
THE FUTURE FOR FASTENING
Robert Hardstaff, Managing Director of EJOT UK, discusses the major investment
programme that is helping the company expand its offering and provide fastening
systems, and bespoke fixing solutions, to meet the demands of today’s built environment.
As architects, structural engineers and
clients strive to create increasingly better
quality and more sustainable buildings,
innovative fastening systems and easier access
to bespoke fixing solutions are helping to ensure
that unnecessary complexity and excessive costs
do not creep in as a result.
Across many different construction applications,
EJOT UK is increasingly helping customers to take
advantage of new approaches to attaching
building elements, both through new product
developments and modified versions of standard
fasteners that are already proven in the field. By
continuously evolving fastener technology in this
way, EJOT is ensuring the construction industry is
able to work ever smarter and drive up standards.
Fastener design, testing, manufacturing and a
logistical infrastructure here in the UK completely
underpins EJOT’s support. With Leeds being the
location of one of the global EJOT Group’s major
operations, the company has established a strong
bond with UK customers who value being able to
deal with fastener specialists locally, and benefit
from market-leading technical advice that is fully
aligned with their needs.
And this support is something EJOT is expanding
too, with a major investment programme nearing
completion which will increase the scale of
everything the company does in the UK. A £6.5m
project to double the size of EJOT UK’s
manufacturing capacity,
logistical facilities, the
Applitec Centre for R&D and
office space will be complete
before the end of 2021.
The creation of this expanded
EJOT operation in North
Above: The EJOT HTK tube-washer.
Yorkshire will provide the ideal platform for the
next era for the business, building on 36 years of
serving the construction and manufacturing
sectors. This will be an era with ever more
collaboration to ensure industry professionals can
deliver on shared quality and sustainability goals.
Green roof: Thailand
In fact, this is exactly how EJOT
already works with many of its
customers, as one recent
project to create a technically
challenging green roof in
Thailand demonstrates
(pictured right). EJOT UK
provided a combination of
innovative products to meet the
complex design requirements of the 2,500 sq.
m green roof for the Forest Pavilion, the
centrepiece building of a new 158 acre wellbeingfocused
development in the Thai capital,
Bangkok.
One major challenge was to achieve a secure
attachment for the green roof at an angle of 16
degrees without exceeding a maximum weight
of 35kg per sq. m. Any fastening system had to
be 100% waterproof to prevent corrosion risks
and maximise the lifespan of the building, as
well as accommodate significant wind uplift
given the position of the Forest Pavilion, initially
stand-alone with no adjacent buildings to
deflect the wind.
EJOT UK worked closely
with the project team to
provide a solution. The
EJOT HTK tube-washer
(left) was specified to
attach the roof insulation
and PVC membrane to the
metal deck substrate, whilst minimising thermal
transmission, and EJOT EJObar was selected to
anchor the soil’s wire reinforcement securely –
all without adding significant weight.
Victorian Cottage: North Yorkshire
Similar flexibility and innovation were also shown
in a very different recent project to upgrade a
Victorian cottage in North Yorkshire.
The owner of the traditional stone
built cottage sought to
refurbish it to a high ecostandard
using Hempcrete to
insulate the interior walls, for
which EJOT UK provided an
innovative fixing solution.
The new walls were cast on-site using a
hemp shriv and lime mortar mix, formed one
section at a time, each of which needed a strong
bond to the raw stone wall structure of the house.
Here, EJOT’s H1 eco anchors provided the
solution. Primarily designed for attaching
insulation boards, after assessing the
contractor’s proposed construction, EJOT’s
technical consultants recommended the H1 eco
anchors to create a series of anchor points for the
compound to grip under and around as it cured.
Both these projects illustrate the power of
collaboration between project engineers and the
fastening systems provider, which is why EJOT UK
is committed to supporting the industry in this
way. The newly expanded EJOT UK base near
Leeds will allow the company to expand this
approach with an even sharper focus on
customer support and manufacturing capacity.
Contact EJOT UK
www.ejot.co.uk
@EJOTUK_Building
32 TC AUGUST 2021

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School Roofs
THE CORRECT SOLUTION TO A
CHALLENGING SCHOOL PROJECT
Total Contractor hears how Resitrix has played its part in providing a
robust, CIF-funded solution for problem roofs at Prince Henry’s High
School in Evesham.
Prince Henry’s High School in Evesham is
an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ Academy for
students aged 13-18, that has worked
collaboratively with chartered building
consultants, PR Associates, and roofing systems
specialist, Carlisle Construction Materials (CCM),
to secure a Condition Improvement Fund (CIF)
grant for a roof upgrade.
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the
project, which involves a 1100m² total roof area
across three roofs, is now well underway. Phase
1 and 2 are complete and phase 3 is due to take
place during the summer break.
Funding bid
The school campus is typical of many high
schools, with multiple additions to the original
main building. Consequently, there are a number
of different roof levels and roof areas in varying
conditions, with a mix of existing coverings that
had reached the end of their service life. In some
areas, the roof was leaking and a small roof area
over the main entrance was in need of
particularly urgent attention, because rain was
draining onto it, resulting in ponding water.
PR Associates advocates CCM’s RESITRIX roofing
system for school roof refurbishment projects. A
hybrid modified bitumen and EPDM membrane, it
offers torch-free installation and a certified
service life of more than 50 years. The chartered
building consultant worked with CCM to develop a
technical specification, which contributed to
Prince Henry’s High School’s CIF application. “We
often find that a collaborative approach between
the school, the building surveyor and our
Above: A project is underway to fix damaged roofs at Prince Henry’s High School in Evesham, utlising Resitrix from CCM.
technical team at funding bid stage is
works and that the school makes decisions that
instrumental in outlining the business case for a will reduce future maintenance costs and
CIF grant,” explained Paul Simms, Technical disruption.”
Services Manager at CCM.
With the CIF funding secured, the roof
“Carrying out a full condition survey and
refurbishment has been carried out as part of a
providing a technical specification at this stage wider programme of works, and AJR, the roofing
ensures that the bid considers the full scope of contractor, was trained in installation of the
34 TC AUGUST 2021

Left: Resitrix welding; Above: Prince Henry’s High School in Evesham.
RESITRIX system,
prior to beginning
work on site in
January.
Andy Robinson
from AJR
commented: “We have a
team that is very
experienced in various roofing
membranes but the RESITRIX training CCM
provided highlighted just how easy it is to install.
Thanks to the EPDM layer, the system retains its
elasticity even at low temperatures, and the
membrane bonds permanently to the roof on
contact with the primer. It also allows us to form
details with the offcuts, so there has been
virtually no waste.”
Flame-free installation
The project involves a thermal upgrade to all
three roof areas, along with an overlay of the
RESITRIX system and improvements to drainage
to address the issues with ponding water. For
each roof area, the AJR team cleaned and
prepared the
existing roof
surfaces, cutting
out blisters and
carrying out patch
repairs where
required. CCM’s
technical team then
carried out penetration tests to
ensure there was no water tracking
under the existing coverings and, once these
checks had been completed, the existing roof
covering was used as the air and vapour control
layer (AVCL).
For the phase 1 and 2 roofs, a 130mm flat
insulation board has been specified, with a
tapered insulation scheme for the roof where
there are issues with drainage. Following
installation of the insulation, CCM’s FG 35 primer
is applied directly into the insulation board and
the 1 x 10m rolls of RESITRIX membrane are
rolled out onto the roof. Once the membrane is in
place, the AJR team peel back the release film
and the membrane bonds to the primed insulation
on contact, with no requirement for heat
activation or mechanical fixings.
Each roll of RESITRIX is installed with a 50mm
lap, which is sealed using a hot air welding tool.
The roofs involve a range of details, including
rooflights – which are being replaced – drainage
outlets, a parapet wall and a tank room, and the
AJR team can use offcuts of the membrane to
form these details because the material bonds to
itself.
Richard Pill, a chartered building consultant and
Director at PR Associates, added: “We
recommend RESITRIX for school projects
because it not only offers excellent performance
for an extended service life, but it enables
installation in an occupied school building with
no hot works or unpleasant odours.”
Contact CCM Europe
01623 62 72 85
www.ccm-europe.com/gb/
@CARLISLE_CM_UK
AUGUST 2021 TC 35

Liquid Waterproofing
DIVERSIFY & CONQUER: LIQUIDS
AREN’T JUST FOR ROOFS...
Victoria Ramwell, from Kemper System, the cold-applied liquid
waterproofing specialist, explains how the versatility of liquids is
creating more opportunities for contractors, enabling them to
diversify into new sectors.
The liquid roofing and waterproofing industry
has grown rapidly over the last decade.
What was once considered a niche sector,
is now thriving. One of the main drivers behind
this growth is an increasing awareness of the
versatility of liquids and their ability to meet
complex demands across both refurbishment and
new build projects.
In addition to roofs, cold-applied liquids are
frequently used for balconies, walkways and car
parks, and increasingly, for more bespoke,
specialist projects. This is enabling contractors to
widen their client base and apply their skills and
knowledge across a broader range of sectors.
Flowing smoothly
A recent project, carried out by
roofing contractors, Ron
Robinson Roofing, has
demonstrated this versatility,
and how roofers can use their
skills and liquid systems to
diversify.
As part of a multi-million-pound refurbishment, a
new fountain was designed for a luxury hotel and
wedding venue in the North East. Built from
scratch, the fountain is the centrepiece of a
courtyard adjoining the ‘Great Hall’ at the Maften
Hall estate located in Northumberland.
The architects for the hotel’s refurbishment
required a waterproofing solution which would
ensure longevity and complement the traditional
design of the new structure.
To meet the brief, Ron Robinson Roofing
Left: Victoria Ramwell, Kemper System. Above: The fountain at Maften Hall which used Kemperol 2K-PUR.
recommended Kemperol 2K-
PUR for the project. The cold
liquid-applied product allows
same-day application and was
suggested as an alternative to a glass
reinforced plastic (GRP) membrane.
The resin was applied to the substrate and a
flexible reinforcement fleece then laid directly
onto the wet resin, immediately followed by more
resin on top.
The resin then cured to form a seamless,
elastomeric waterproof membrane that cannot
delaminate, is UV stable, and bonded directly to
the substrate.
To enhance aesthetics, a traffic coating was
applied on top of the membrane. This
polyurethane-based surfacing system provides
a long-lasting protective wearing coating and is
available in a variety of colour blends. To meet
the architect’s design requirements, the
coloured quartz ‘grey mixed’ finish was
selected.
Realising benefits
As well as offering an aesthetic finish for
fountains of all shapes and sizes, a cold-applied
liquid solution has a quick curing time making the
installation process very efficient. The use of a
roller means the resin can be quickly applied
around detailing such as light fittings and drains,
further improving efficiency. The risk of disruption
is minimised, and the client can be assured of a
vapour permeable membrane that is both durable
36 TC AUGUST 2021

“Cold-applied liquids are frequently used for
more bespoke, specialist projects – this is
enabling contractors to widen their client base
and apply their skills and knowledge across a
broader range of sectors”
The architects for the hotel’s refurbishment required a
waterproofing solution which would ensure longevity and
complement the traditional design of the new structure at
Maften Hall.
and tear-resistant.
A further benefit of 2K-PUR is that it is
manufactured using a material which is
sustainably sourced offering a more
environmentally-friendly solution. As it is solvent
free, this also eliminates the risk of any
chemicals potentially contaminating the water in
fountains.
Technical support
Contractors looking to use their skills for more
niche projects, should seek advice from a trusted
liquid waterproofing manufacturer. Even if a liquid
has been used many times before, it may not be
the right solution for the brief.
A manufacturer should be able to provide the
appropriate technical support and guidance pre
and post installation, and ensure the most
appropriate solution is developed.
If a solution is specified by the manufacturer, this
should only be installed by trained, independent
contractors whose operatives have completed
specific product training. At Kemper System, this
means the quality and performance of the
waterproofing system is backed by a range
warranties of up to 20 years.
Contact Kemper System
01925 445532
www.kempersystem.co.uk
@KemperSystemUK
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AUGUST 2021 TC 37

Green Roof Project
‘LIVE LAB’ GREEN ROOF PROJECT
LAUNCHED IN MILTON KEYNES
The project at Saxon Court “will be the test bed for a dynamic green roof
which will offer immediate and substantial environmental benefits for
Central Milton Keynes, as well as providing fantastic opportunities for
YMCA residents to learn new skills, setting them up for sustainable
employment in the future.”
Coinciding with World Green Roof Day 2021,
which took place on June 6th, plans for
Central Milton Keynes’ first highly
sustainable ‘live lab’ green rooftop were
announced by mixed-use developer First Base
and investors Patron Capital, the team behind the
new proposals for Saxon Court.
In collaboration with local living roof specialists
Bridgman & Bridgman, creative agency
Pooleyville, YMCA Milton Keynes and Milton
Keynes Council, the companies involved say the
temporary project will also deliver exciting
training and development opportunities for
local young people.
The initiative forms part of MK
Council’s Green Business
Recovery Fund and will draw
on local, specialist expertise to
demonstrate the biodiversity
and carbon capture benefits of
green roofs within urban areas, as well
as the ability to grow food on rooftops.
Due to the climate emergency and growing
awareness of the benefits of green roofs, the
industry is looking for new, skilled workers to
manage increasing demand. As part of this
project, YMCA residents will be offered the
opportunity to be trained and awarded
certifications in the installation and maintenance
of green roofs, providing them with the skills to
meet future employment opportunities.
Concluding in April 2022, the companies involved
Left: Chris Bridgman; Above: Saxon Court will be the test bed for a dynamic green roof.
say the newly skilled green on delivering employability support for local young
roof installers will be given the people.
chance to reuse materials and
Steve Eccles, Project Director, First Base, said:
features from the Saxon Court
“We are committed to delivering a sustainable
live lab, and apply their new skills
development at Saxon Court, from embodied
to create their own green roof on the
carbon savings through the retention of the
new YMCA Milton Keynes building.
original building, through to embracing zero
Delivering the substantial environmental benefits emissions mobility, energy efficiency, renewable
of living roofs within urban areas, the Saxon technologies and improving on-site biodiversity.
Court initiative is also in alignment with Milton
“We are therefore delighted that Saxon Court will
Keynes’ ambitions to be carbon neutral by 2030,
be the test bed for a dynamic green roof which
and carbon negative by 2050. The initiative also
will offer immediate and substantial
aligns with First Base and Patron Capital’s
environmental benefits for Central Milton Keynes,
commitment to deliver over £300m of social
as well as providing fantastic opportunities for
value over 20 years, including support for local
YMCA residents to learn new skills, setting them
employment, training and skills. The development
up for sustainable employment in the future.”
has also signed up to the Milton Keynes
Cornerstone Employment scheme, with a focus
Continued on page 40
38 TC AUGUST 2021

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Green Roof Project
Continued from page 38
Chris Bridgman, Partner at Bridgman &
Bridgman, commented: “We’ve worked
across the UK on green roof and roof
garden projects, and we are delighted
to be working locally with First Base to
demonstrate the huge range of benefits
living rooftops offer.
“With such a fast-growing industry, we
need to create and support green jobs
and training opportunities to keep up
with the growing demand for urban
greening and green infrastructure.
Green roofs are a vital tool for climate
action and for helping Milton Keynes
become the greenest city in the world.”
Bridgman & Bridgman will be working with the
Green Infrastructure Consultancy and Supplier
members of GRO, including ABG Ltd, Bourne
Amenity, Boughton, Green-Tech, Sempergreen,
Optigrun, Wallbarn, Zinco and other members
contributing at later stages, to construct the live
lab.
Councillor Jenny Wilson-Marklew, Cabinet
Member for Climate and Sustainability at MK
Council, said: “We’re committed to supporting
new green and creative jobs as Milton
Keynes looks to recover from the impact
of the pandemic.“We’re delighted to be
able to launch this newest scheme with
an MK-based firm leading in their
industry, while also providing training
and development opportunities for local
young people.”
“With such a fastgrowing
industry,
we need to create
and support green
jobs and training
opportunities”
Contact Bridgman & Bridgman
01908 579080
www.bridgmanlandscapes.co.uk
@BridgmanLscapes
NFRC URGES ROOFERS TO TAKE ‘SWIFT ACTION’ IN AUGUST
NFRC is urging its members to keep an eye
out for swift nests before starting work on
a roof, to help reverse the decline seen in
recent years in the swift population.
NFRC says it is working proactively with the RSPB
to try to raise awareness amongst the roofing
industry, and is encouraging the installation of
swift boxes.
Swifts evolved 60 million years ago, yet in the last
20 years their numbers are said to have almost
halved, due mostly to the loss of nesting sites,
often unintentionally as a result of roof renovations.
Swifts migrate from Africa to the UK each year to
breed, usually starting to nest in May and
remaining until August. Therefore, NFRC says now
is the time for roofing contractors to be checking
if there are any swifts nesting on the site they are
working on, and to ensure these are protected.
NFRC and RSPB are advising roofing contractors
to:
• Check if there are swift nests where you are
working using www.swiftmapper.org.uk
• If you do discover a swift nest on the site,
discuss delaying the project with your client to
undertake the work outside of swift nesting
season (May to August).
• Outside of swift nesting season, if you discover
a swift nest, try to protect this as swifts tend to
come back to the same nest sites year on year.
There are lots of examples where with careful
design, roofing work has taken place whilst
maintaining entrance points for swifts.
• If there is no way of preserving the nest, as long
it is outside of nesting season, swift nest boxes and
bricks can be installed to replace nesting sites.
• Consider installing swift boxes as an additional
service for your clients – these will be in higher
demand as more and more Local Authorities
introduce biodiversity targets and the UK
government introduces Biodiversity Net Gain into
planning legislation.
• Listen to the NFRC RoofTop podcast with the
RSPB on protecting swifts.
NFRC Safety, Health and Environment Officer Gary
Walpole said: “The decline in the swift population
over the last 20 years is shocking – but it doesn’t
have to be this way. With a little bit of forward
planning, education and collaboration, we as an
industry can play our part to help reverse this trend.
Swifts are the sight of summer, so now is the
time to be on the lookout for any nests. I am
encouraging members, between now and the end
of August, to check the swift mapper website,
before starting on any new refurbishment job.”
He concluded: “Not only can roofing contractors
help stop the decline, but they can actually
encourage more swifts to nest here by offering to
install swift boxes as an additional service or
improve the biodiversity of buildings for decades
to come.”
40 TC AUGUST 2021

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Viewpoint
A GOOD TRADING RELATIONSHIP
WITH SUPPLIERS IS CRUCIAL
Adrian Buttress, Managing Director at PermaGroup, discusses his approach to the
ongoing crisis around material shortages and price increases, and explains how it’s
brought the importance of customer loyalty to the fore like never before.
2020 was truly a year like no other, during
which time we were proud to celebrate
both our twentieth birthday and also a
record year for sales as a company – despite the
challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Towards the end of last year, I predicted that
2021 would be a turbulent one but that, as a
sector and a business, we’d all be better
prepared and in a stronger position.
We got off to an incredibly strong start, with four
consecutive record-breaking months – a first in
PermaGroup’s trading history. However,
as the year progresses and
construction activity
continues to gain
momentum, there is
no escaping the
material shortages
and price
increases that are
affecting the sector.
As such, the time
has now come for us to
be proactive and ensure
minimum disruption for our
customers.
Reward loyalty
Every business has its regular customers, and
it’s in scenarios like this where the value of
loyalty really comes into its own and reaps its
rewards. For example, we’ve started allocating
stock to our ‘regulars’ to ensure we can keep
supplying them as best we can, are doing all we
can to preserve future stock for them and,
crucially, are holding off on price increases for as
long as possible.
Although this can mean some difficult
decisions when it comes to other
customers, for example those
who we haven’t dealt with in a
few years, I firmly believe it will
pay dividends down the line to
have held valuable customers close
and cared for them throughout the crisis.
Think ahead
While there was no way anyone could have
planned and prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic,
there has been plenty of time to plan
for Brexit and the potential
impact we thought it was
likely to have on our
industry.
From purchasing
bulk amounts of
stock to secure old
rates and delaying
the inevitable
increase in prices,
through to maintaining a
detailed stock plan and KPIs,
this can make all the difference when
it comes to identifying early warnings signs with
regards to stock levels and how much will be
needed – based on information that comes
through from manufacturers.
Maintain relationships
A good trading relationship with key suppliers has
never been more important. We have a very
strong team and the right work ethic, which
means we work closely with suppliers to forecast
likely stock requirements. By combining this with
our capacity to house higher than
usual stock levels, we’re in the
fortunate position of being able to
continue trading almost
uninterrupted so far, despite the
challenges facing the industry.
“There’s no doubt
that it is going to be a
tough few months and I
estimate that we’ll be
into the final quarter of
the year before things
start to improve”
Look forward
The construction industry is one of the largest in
the UK economy, employing around 3.1 million
people across the country and making up for
around nine percent of our workforce, meaning
the impact of these shortages and increases is
being felt by many. However, it’s a resilient sector
that has already navigated tricky waters and will
continue to do so when it’s required.
There’s no doubt that it is going to be a tough few
months and I estimate that we’ll be into the final
quarter of the year before things start to improve.
We are already learning that a number of projects
are being delayed until 2022 meaning that, while
2021 might be a challenge, we already have a
healthy start to look forward to in the new year.
Contact PermaRoof
www.permaroof.co.uk
@PermaGroupUK
42 TC AUGUST 2021

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AUGUST 2021 TC 43

Roofing Updates
For further info on all these updates and more, visit www.total-contractor.co.uk
COLOUR COUNTS WITH HUNTER
Championing the growing colour trend in the and sunshine yellow, the new
normal route.
built environment, Hunter Plastics has
colours are available on the
Speaking about the decision to
launched a new extended colour offering for 112mm Half Round, Surefit 125
introduce the new colour offering,
its range of rainwater systems.
and 114mm Squareflo rainwater
Rod McLachlan, Rainwater
systems – all manufactured to
Designed to provide specifiers, developers,
Category Manager at Hunter
meet British Standards.
roofing contractors and self-builders with even
Plastics, said: “We wanted to give
more choice, enhanced flexibility and design
freedom, Hunter Plastics has extended the colour
offering of its rainwater systems to include over
150 RAL colours in a range of matt and textured
finishes.
From post-box red and deep teal to bright pink
The bespoke colour service is said
to be easy to access, with
customers simply required to note
the RAL reference of their desired colour,
referring to the RAL colour book, and include
this when placing the order through their
our customers something that
would enable them to explore more
innovative and creative system
designs and open up options for those looking to
introduce more colour into their schemes.”
www.hunterplastics.co.uk
THE RIGHT OUTLET FOR FORTICRETE
Forticrete has supplied over 100,000 roofing and ridge tiles as the sole supplier for McArthurGlen’s newly
opened Designer Outlet West Midlands.
McArthurGlen’s latest £160 million development in Cannock features a combination of Forticrete’s durable and
aesthetically striking SL8, PAN8, Hardrow Slate, Gemini and Plain roof tiles. Holder Mathias Architects, codesigners
of the 30-acre site, initially approached Forticrete regarding two types of roof tile, but were so impressed by the breadth of shades and
finishes available, they specified five different tile profiles in seven different shades. The variations of grey and red roof tiles were chosen to create a
New England Style aesthetic, creating a stylish exterior that reflects the high profile designer brands featured throughout the site. Mike Hoehenwarter,
Associate at Holder Mathias Architects, said: “Forticrete was able to provide a fantastic range of roof tiles that complemented the design vision perfectly,
achieving a modern and contemporary look within the context of the vernacular aesthetic of the brief. Their customer support and specification support
team also provided invaluable help to the design and construction teams throughout the project.” It is this dedication to providing a bespoke approach at
an attractive price that secured Forticrete the high profile contract, with its recently launched SL8 and PAN8 roofing tiles fulfilling the architect’s brief to
create a visually striking, yet completely unique, exterior. www.forticrete.co.uk
SPRA AWARDS SUCCESS FOR SIKA!
Sika and five of its Certified Contractors have triumphed at this year’s Single Ply Roofing Association
(SPRA) Awards.
The awards, which recognise best practice within the single ply roofing industry, saw Sika Sarnafil, working with
Berkshire-based Malone Roofing, take home the Best New Build award for their contribution to St George’s college’s
new sports facility (pictured) and its bespoke freeform glulam roof. Sika, working with Perth-based AIM Developments Ltd, also came out top in the Best Safe
Working category for their work on the iconic dome shaped Bell’s Sports Centre roof in Scotland. The Best Refurbishment category was won with Oxfordshire’s
Owlsworth Roofing, for their work on the University of Reading’s immense library overhaul. 13 different roof areas on 8 separate levels didn’t faze the Sika
contractors on this project, with technical guidance and support in creating bespoke specifications for each roof area. Throughout the full roof refurbishment,
the library was still safely accessible to students.
A further two Sarnafil projects were highly commended: one for refurbishment work on historic treasure the Royal Gunpowder Mills with Essex-based Contour
Roofing, and one for Best Safe working on the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury with Bedford’s Delomac Ltd. www.sika.co.uk/roofing
44 TC AUGUST 2021

EVOKE PROVIDES THE ANSWERS
Marley Alutec’s Evoke composite aluminium
fascia and soffit system has been supplied to
a residential project in Killin, Stirling, where
it was cut and formed on-site from standard
sheets to meet the requirements of the
project.
Marley Alutec’s Aligator Deepflow rainwater gutter
system was also chosen for its strength, durability
and simple installation process.
The now four bedroom residential property was
extensively redeveloped and extended from the
original one bedroom home. The design included
aluminium panel for the fascia and soffits to
provide a high quality, long lasting finish for the
exterior of the property. The specification also
included aluminium rainwater systems due to the
material’s longer lifespan when compared with
PVCu systems.
Ian Brydie, the owner of Ian
Brydie Construction,
explained: “I had worked with
Drummond McKenzie, the
Area Sales Manager from
Marley Alutec, a number of
times before and approached
him about what the company could offer. The Evoke
system ticked all the boxes in terms of what the
client was looking for and they were more than
happy for it to be used.”
Unusually, the Evoke material supplied to the
project did not include any pre-cut, pre-formed or
bespoke elements. Instead, standard sheets of the
composite aluminium panel were delivered to site
and the contractor team cut and formed each
section to fit the shape of the building. Due to the
bespoke nature of the project the contractor wanted
the flexibility of cutting the material to fit each
section. This was possible
because of the composition of
Evoke that allows the material
to be worked in a similar way
to timber, using standard
carpentry tools and skills.
Marley Alutec’s Aligator
Deepflow rainwater gutter system was also used on
this project. Ian explained: “Seamless aluminium
gutters had been specified for the gutters and on
previous builds we have worked with a specialist
subcontractor to fabricate it. However, we realised
that with the Marley Alutec Snap-fit product we
could achieve a seamless look but with a system
that we could install ourselves. We presented this
option to the client and they were keen for it to be
used, especially given its strength and longevity.”
www.marleyalutec.co.uk
MIDVERG20 LAUNCHED BY HAMBLESIDE DANELAW
After the very popular reception of its
InVerg Plain Tile Interlocking Dry Verge
System last year, Hambleside Danelaw says
it is eager to announce the launch of its
new dry verge system, the MidVerg20.
Designed to prevent weather ingress and
reliance on mortar at the roof edge,
this dry verge system is
compatible with all
interlocking plain tile types
and suitable for use on
new build or
refurbishment.
The MidVerg20 is manufactured by
Hambleside Danelaw to suit all single lap
interlocking plain tiles between 200mm and
260mm batten gauges.
Hambleside Danelaw is a British manufacturer,
with its Danelaw brand producing a wide range
Above: MidVerg20 in Antique Red;
Left: Grey option. Right: MidVerg20 in
production.
of ancillary roofing products in its
factory in Northamptonshire.
The company says it has a passion for
innovation, developing new ideas and
proposals to maximise the quality and choice
available in the roofing industry.
The MidVerg20 system comes with a 15-year
service life guarantee, and provides a fixing for
the verge tiles for use in the wind zones 1 to 5
in accordance with BS 8612: 2018 Table C.1.
To find the MidVerg20’s data sheet and
installation recommendations, head over to
Hambleside Danelaw’s website. If you have
any questions, contact techelp@hamblesidedanelaw.co.uk.
Contact Hambleside Danelaw
on 01327 701 900 to find our more information
about its Family Verg options.
www.hambleside-danelaw.co.uk
AUGUST 2021 TC 45

Roofing Updates
For further info on all these updates and more, visit www.total-contractor.co.uk
UK FIRST FOR PRELASTI
AAC Waterproofing says it is excited to be
giving the Prelasti Green EPDM membrane its
UK debut.
This unique and innovative EPDM membrane is
said to be specifically designed to be far greener
than traditional solutions. Never used in the UK
before, the solution is made up of 42% recycled car
tyres, helping to reduce the number going to
landfill. Not only is this new EPDM solution utilising
recycled material, but the resulting membrane is
also incredibly stable and durable, helping to fully
waterproof the property.
Prelasti Green’s eco-friendly EPDM membrane is
also produced using techniques designed to
significantly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide
created from manufacturing. The solution can last
for up to five decades and is also fully recyclable.
What makes this new solution so effective is that it
can be used to waterproof a wide range of roofing
styles. This includes, ballasted roofs, adhered
roofs, mechanical fastened roofs and eco-friendly
green roods. The membrane also offers very high
UV resistance and high tear and shear properties,
ensuring maximum protection. Andy Porter, MD at
AAC Waterproofing, added: “We are really proud
to be the first roofing company in the UK to be
offering this innovative new membrane from
Prelasti Green. Reducing our impact on the
environment is incredibly important to everyone
here at AAC Waterproofing, and this new ecofriendly
EPDM membrane ensures we can take
this even further.” www.aacwaterproofing.co.uk
KALZIP SOLUTION POWERS R&D FACILITY
The creation of a new aerospace research facility at Prestwick, in Scotland, has included the largest
installation to date of the new AluPlusSolar system developed by Kalzip, with the photovoltaics being
integrated into the manufacturer’s standing seam roof by one of its Teamkal contractors.
The 8,000m² building was designed by Hypostyle Architects with Balfour Beatty appointed as main contractor.
Fowler McKenzie is the roofing and cladding specialist which undertook the entire envelope package and was responsible for putting Kalzip AluPlusSolar
forward to the project team. AluPlusSolar is a versatile and highly energy efficient lightweight system that has been developed in conjunction with BIPVco
who supplied the panels for bonding onto the Kalzip 65/400 roof sheets. The latter were rolled to length on site for Fowler McKenzie’s teams to install
directly across the full span of the barrel-vaulted structure. Crucially, the super thin PV laminate and connected equipment add just 3 Kg/m² to the
weight of the roof: a total saving of 8.5 tonnes across the development compared to standard systems – while providing a potential peak capacity of 126
kWp. Phil McKenzie, MD of Fowler McKenzie, commented: “When we tendered for the contract, with Kalzip 65/400 already specified, it was envisaged to
install conventional PV panels over the top, but we suggested the use of Kalzip AluPlusSolar as an alternative which we were aware would offer time and
cost savings. It consequently delivered an 8.5 tonne weight saving across the whole building.” www.kalzip.com/en/
EVOKE’S CONSERVATION SOLUTION
Marley Alutec’s Evoke roofline solution has been selected for a custom new-build property within a
conservation area in Ipswich.
The composite aluminium system was chosen to provide a durable, low maintenance, modern look that would
complement the surrounding area. The property is located on Constitution Hill, a residential street within the Park Conservation area of Ipswich. The land
also previously formed part of the Woodside estate, which includes the nearby Grade II listed building. As such, the design of the house and the
materials used needed to be considered carefully. Ben Moore, Architectural Technologist at KLH Architects, explained: “We were tasked with producing a
design that would take advantage of the unique features of the site. We also needed to consider the shape and materials of neighbouring properties and
the wider local context while creating a house with subtle modern influences.” The southern side of the house, visible from Constitution Hill, makes
extensive use of materials such as red Suffolk bricks and the shape of the roof features multiple gables with a central spine to reflect the surrounding
properties. The northern section features standing seam zinc cladding alongside large expanses of glazing and open plan spaces to make the most of the
landscape that falls away behind the house. Marley Alutec’s Evoke system has been used in a number of innovative ways in the construction of the
property, which was carried out by local custom-build specialists Birch Construction. www.marleyalutec.co.uk
46 TC AUGUST 2021

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Fasteners: Best Practice
MCRMA CAMPAIGN SET TO IMPACT
CORRECT FASTENER DRIVER CHOICE
Carlton Jones, Director at MCRMA, explains why cladding and roofing fasteners should not
be installed with impact drivers, and outlines best practice guidance to ensure better and
more consistent standards when it comes to metal roofing and cladding installations...
The Metal Cladding and Roofing
Manufacturers Association (MCRMA) has
launched a campaign highlighting that
impact drivers should NOT be used to install
fasteners and only appropriate and recommended
screw guns should be used for the installation of
fasteners. Screw guns are an installer essential
when working in roofing and cladding
construction, as they ensure that the optimum
mechanical performance of a self-drilling
fastener is obtained, guaranteeing the integrity of
the building envelope.
Impact drivers should not be used! Their
repetitive impact action can lead to drilling
failures, reduce the fastener pull-out
performance, and damage the
coating or strip the moulding on
the fastener head. The use of
an impact driver may
therefore make void any
warranty provided by the
fastener supplier.
Incorrect tooling
The majority of fastener-related problems on site
are simply from using incorrect tooling. Selfdrilling
fasteners are designed to be installed with
the constant rotational drive of a purposedesigned
screw gun. Drill points do not perform
well at very high speeds, so a maximum of 2000
rpm is recommended. Whilst this may appear
counter-productive, the burn-out rate will be
substantially less. Once an attempt at drilling
holes has failed, case hardening of the steel
support will make subsequent attempts even
more difficult.
Left: Carlton Jones, Director, Metal Cladding and Roofing Manufacturers Association Above: Ripped and
deformed washer caused by the use of an impact driver which resulted in the ingress of water.
In today’s construction, higher
tensile grades of steel are
being increasingly specified
and used. The typical tensile
strength of light section purlins,
rails and spacer bars has increased
considerably in recent years. Published minimum
tensile grades of 39N/mm² and 450N/mm² are
now commonplace and with the allowable
tolerances the maximum could be nearer to
600N/mm². This higher tensile material stretches
the self-drilling performance tolerance. Therefore,
it is imperative that the correct installation tools
are specified to minimise the number of cases
where fasteners are ‘burning out’.
Self-drilling fasteners
Self-drilling fasteners, the preferred type used for
roofing and cladding constructions, are to be
installed with either a battery screw gun or a
110V screw gun, with the compatible head
socket/bit, and fitted with an adjustable depth
locating nose piece unless the fastener design
incorporates features to prevent overdriving.
External drive screws
For external drive screws, e.g. hexagonal and bihexagonal
(moulded) heads, the socket must be
deep enough so that the drive is on the flange at
the base of the head. This will give more efficient
drilling of the fastener as well as preventing
damage to the top of the fastener head.
This is particularly relevant to magnetic sockets
where, on some designs, the magnet is very
shallow and could damage the coating to the
head.
This is made worse as the magnet naturally
attracts a build-up of swarf. The recess on
sockets must be deep enough to clear the top of
48 TC AUGUST 2021

Above: The MCRMA has launched a campaign highlighting
that impact drivers should NOT be used to install fasteners.
Above: Fully deformed washer caused by overdriving – “applying excessive end load via the screw gun whilst the fastener is drilling can increase the risk of the fastener ‘burning out’.
the fastener head.
Applying excessive end load via the screw gun
whilst the fastener is drilling could also be
counterproductive and increase the risk of the
fastener ‘burning out’. This is, perhaps naturally,
more common on thicker hot rolled/heavy section
steel supports.
The exact speed of the screw gun will vary
depending on the fastener type and the steel
substrate, but the slower a fixing is installed, the
higher the mechanical performance obtained.
Screw guns have a slower rotational speed than
impact drivers, but are far more efficient in that
the installer will not have to attempt to drill into
the substrate more than once or try and use
multiple fasteners, which in itself creates more
problems.
In summary
Do:
• Install roofing and cladding self-drilling
fasteners using either a battery screw gun or a
110v screw gun.
• Ensure that the screw gun is fitted with a
correctly adjusted depth locating nose piece
“Screw guns have a slower rotational speed than
impact drivers, but are far more efficient in that
the installer will not have to attempt to drill into
the substrate more than once”
(unless the fastener has features to prevent
overdriving)
• Install roofing and cladding self-drilling
fasteners at speeds less than 2000 rpm whether
or not the fastener has features to prevent
overdriving
• Always use the correct PPE to avoid personal
injury
• Ensure correct sockets and drive bits are used
• Ensure any magnet is recessed deep enough to
clear the head
• Ensure external sockets drive on the flange at
the base of the screw head
Do not:
• Install roofing and cladding fasteners with
either an impact driver or a dry wall screw gun
• Apply excessive end loads (bodyweight force)
via the screw gun whilst the fastener is drilling,
particularly on thicker hot rolled/heavy section
steel supports.
Conclusion
Adoption by industry of the guidance in this
article will lead to better and more consistent
standards of metal roofing and cladding
construction.
Correct specification screw guns are available for
purchase from MCRMA fastener manufacturers.
MCRMA member companies can advise on the
suitability and performance of materials, systems
and assemblies and are featured on the MCRMA
website.
Contact MCRMA
01633 895633
www.mcrma.co.uk
@MCRMA1
AUGUST 2021 TC 49

Timber Frame: Fire Focus
A FOCUS ON TIMBER FRAME
CATEGORIES AND FIRE DISTANCES
The experts at A Proctor Group discuss the key points...
During the design process of any building,
project professionals will consult Building
Regulations, Standards and Codes for
information on fire safety and compliance. The
findings of this process usually only focus on the
level of life safety related to fire of occupants in
and around a completed building. This is due to
an absence in technical guidance in Building
Regulations and Standards for fire safety during
construction, specifically in determining the safe
fire separation space between buildings under
construction and existing buildings outside the
site boundary.
To address fire prevention while construction is
happening, designers can consult the
Construction (Design and Management)
Regulations (2015). If the new structure is timber
frame, designers can additionally consult the
extensive guidance published by the Structural
Timber Association (STA), which we will discuss
in greater detail here.
The STA’s during-construction guidance relates to
safe separating distances of timber frame
buildings that have a total floor area of greater
than 600m². The purpose of this guidance is to
reduce radiant heat emissions to acceptable
levels through the selection of an appropriate
timber frame material specification.
The STA organises timber frame types into three
categories. These types are categorised according
to the materials used in their build-up. Their
relative fire safety performance increases
sequentially from A to C, with Category A being
the lowest performing and Category C the highest.
• Category A: Standard timber frame.
• Category B: Inclusion of flame retardant
materials and insulation. There are three
subcategories to Category B: B1 (lowest), B2, and
B3 (highest).
• Category C: Inclusion of limited or noncombustible
sheathing.
Similar to Robust Details for acoustics, the ABC
timber frame categories are determined by
scoring the specified wall and floor types
individually, then combining these scores to get
the overall category rating. STA Category A types
score lower than Category B types which score
lower than Category C types. The STA guidance
then uses the timber frame category to calculate
the safe separation distance for the building –
the safe separating distance decreases as the fire
performance increases.
This difference in safe separating distance
between timber frame types can be significant.
An example taken from the STA’s Structural
Timber Engineering Bulletin No.6 demonstrates
how increasing the specification of a 4-storey
timber frame building from Category A standard
timber frame to Category C timber frame would
effectively decrease the safe separating distance
from 18.5m to 7.0m – a difference of 11.5m! The
side graphics illustrate the practical difference
this could have on land use and the achievable
housing density on site.
Fireshield: Testing and testimonial
At A Proctor Group, we worked with Edinburgh
University to carry out a test which shows the
performance of our Class B vapour permeable
membrane, Fireshield, with a timber frame. The
results showed how the intumescent nature of
the coating on the membrane complied with the
STA requirements for a Category C-compliant wall
assembly.
This testing resulted in the STA approving the
Above: Fireshield from A Proctor Group.
following text: “Fireshield can be used on the
external cavity face to improve the fire robustness
of closed panel assemblies when installed to the
external sheathing alongside suitable noncombustible
internal linings.
“Fireshield is the first fire resistant vapour
permeable membrane approved for inclusion in
the Structural Timber Association tested product
listing for fire robustness during construction. As
part of such a construction, Fireshield will be part
of a system to limit the spread of fire to adjacent
properties, which can allow for reduced spacing
to adjacent properties.”
The STA’s Design Guide to Separating Distances
During Construction for Timber Frame Buildings
(Oct 2019) categorises Fireshield as an FR Build
Membrane suitable to be installed on the external
face of a wall facing the cavity. Being classified
as a FR Build Membrane, and assuming the
construction includes suitable internal linings as
outlined in the STA text, means Fireshield can be
used in Closed Panel systems, gain the maximum
5 points for the wall assembly, contribute to
achieving a higher STA timber frame category,
and reduce the required safe separating distance
for new builds.
Contact A Proctor Group
01250 872 261
www.proctorgroup.com
@proctorgroup
50 TC AUGUST 2021

Fixfast launches state of the art
UK manufacturing facility.
MADE IN THE UK
Fixfast has invested in its Maximum Reliability, Minimum Fuss promise with the addition
of a cutting-edge manufacturing facility in Kent. Our increased local production capacity
means you can be sure you’ll get the fasteners you need when you need them.
T: +44 1732 882387 | E: sales@fixfast.com | W:fixfast.com/manufacturing

Acoustics and Facades
ALL THE RIGHT NOISES: ACHIEVING
A SOUND FACADE PERFORMANCE
Kalzip has played its part in overcoming a number of acoustic challenges to prevent
sound outbreak and disruption from the noisy surroundings at The Event Complex
Aberdeen project.
Able to host international conferences,
industry leading exhibitions and live
performances, The Event Complex
Aberdeen (TECA) opened in 2019 to wide acclaim
for both its facilities and the structure’s stunning
appearance: attributable in part to the choice of a
roof design featuring Kalzip stranding seam
profiles.
In fact, the manufacturer helped evolve a highspecification
build-up which will provide an
acoustic performance that can prevent sound
break-out or any disruption from what is an
unusually noisy setting.
Aberdeen City Council has hailed the
development as being expected to boost the
country’s economy by £63 million a year. The
main building, constructed at a cost of cost £333
million, has already hosted acclaimed bands and
crucial business conferences, most notably the
Offshore Europe Expo in 2019.
Representing a key element in the council’s longterm
strategy, the extensive structure was
designed by the highly regarded Keppie Architects
and built by Robertson Construction. In addition
to preventing noise disturbance from music
events, the facility’s proximity to Aberdeen
Airport, with its numerous commercial flights and
helicopters ferrying workers out to the North Sea
oil and gas platforms, further raised the bar on
acoustic performance for the 15,000 capacity
arena, and led to the involvement of Edinburghbased
specialist consultancy Sandy Brown.
Appraising the acoustician’s involvement, Sandy
Brown stated: “During the design stages, we
highlighted the need for significant areas of sound
absorbent treatment to control reverberation in
the arena and conference halls, and undertook
computer modelling of various early design
options. Then as part of the commissioning, a
large arena sound system was used to simulate
worst-case amplified music levels in the arena
and main conference halls, and the noise levels
were confirmed to meet the criteria at all nearby
dwellings.”
Kalzip was able to supply the project team with a

wealth of technical data
and acoustic analysis
from other high
profile projects it
has been involved
with across
Scotland,
including the SSE
Hydro Arena in
Glasgow.
This, therefore, enabled
the manufacturer to work
with the architects and acoustician
on evolving the ideal roof build-up to control both
the noise of performances and the sort of low
Hertz reverberation generated by helicopter
rotors.
In order to achieve an outstanding 55 dB sound
reduction figure, the roof features a bespoke
Kalzip system comprising 14 separate
components, including rock mineral wool slabs
for acoustic attenuation;
while the 1mm gauge,
65/400 profile
version of the
manufacturer’s
world renowned
aluminium roofing
system, with a
stucco embossed
finish, weathers the
system.
The manufacturer’s ability to
offer site rolling further facilitated the
installation of 100+ metre lengths of the profile
direct onto the roof structure, thereby avoiding
the need for overlaps anywhere over the arena
and enhancing the weather resistance of the
envelope.
Kalzip duly provided a 25-year guarantee for the
completed installation, though the system will
deliver a minimum 40 year service life. With
Images show the The Event Complex Aberdeen which
incorporated Kalzip’s system for the roof and facade.
more of the material employed for cladding walls
and the other roofs to the exhibition complex, a
total of 27,000 m² of the 65/400 stucco
embossed profile was supplied for the contract,
the success of which has led to further work
with Robertson Construction such as at Bertha
Park in Perth.
Contact Kalzip
www.kalzip.com/en/
@Kalzip_uk
Simple application
Easy online job registration
IBGs
Made
Easy
law services
www.qanw.co.uk
• Call us on 01292 268020
AUGUST 2021 TC 53

RoofCERT: Rainscreen Cladding
ENCOURAGING RESULTS FOR
ROOFCERT RAINSCREEN PILOT
As RoofCERT works with CITB to find an accreditation scheme to demonstrate competency
of operatives and supervisors within the rainscreen cladding sector, an initial pilot, which
focused on a trained supervisor model, took place at SPV Group’s training centre and has
produced ‘positive’ results.
Over the past twelve months, RoofCERT
says it has been working on a CITBfunded
project with the objective of
providing a ‘proof of concept’ for an accreditation
scheme that has the ability to significantly reduce
industry failure rates on inspections, by
improving quality.
RoofCERT has reported that the first pilot for this
project took place at the SPV Group’s training
centre in Walsall in June, to test the theory that a
trained supervisor model could lead to an
improvement in the quality and safety of
rainscreen cladding installation.
A new rainscreen cladding training
course was developed as part of
the pilot and the team say this has
shown initial evidence of an
eleven per cent improvement in the
knowledge and understanding of the
cladding operatives that took part. This,
they say, provides early positive evidence to
support the concept of an accreditation scheme
for trained supervisors in this sector.
Testing
The operatives were said to be tested initially
through a short multiple choice knowledge test
consisting of 35 questions to assess their current
knowledge and understanding of rainscreen
cladding. This was then followed by a mixture of
classroom and practical training over two and a
half days which included behavioural modules in
addition to technical instruction. During the
training, the trainer assessed each operative and
provided feedback on areas where they
SPV Group’s training centre hosted RoofCERT’s pilot course to test the theory that a trained supervisor
model could lead to an improvement in the quality and safety of rainscreen cladding installation.
performed the strongest,
as well as identifying areas
in need of improvement.
At the end of the training the
operatives then took a follow-up test to see
if their knowledge had improved. Further to this,
RoofCERT has reported that of the five operatives
who took the course, all are said to have agreed or
strongly agreed that not only did they have a better
understanding of rainscreen systems, but that the
practical training they received had improved their
installation skills, and all the operatives rated the
course five stars out of five saying they would
recommend it to others.
Follow-up and onsite assessment
It has been reported that the assessors will now
follow up with SPV at regular intervals, as well as
undertaking an on-site assessment to identify
any improvements seen as a result of the
training, and to see if this training has transferred
to other operatives through improved supervision
and leadership.
The team at RoofCERT say they will look to
undertake a number of further pilots with other
early adopter cladding companies over the
coming weeks to gather further evidence before
reporting its findings and recommendations to
CITB, with a view to progressing to the next phase
of the project to develop an accreditation scheme
for rainscreen cladding supervisors in
collaboration with the CITB and other Industry
stakeholders.
Demonstrating competency
Commenting on the pilot, NFRC Group Chief
Continued on page 56
54 TC AUGUST 2021

Promoting
systems-based
solutions
www.mcrma.co.uk
For a fully integrated supply chain
using metal-based products.
Supporting
• Systems manufacturers
• Component manufacturers
• Systems installers
• Independent roofing and
cladding inspectors
• Industry support services providers
Visit www.mcrma.co.uk
to find out more about the MCRMA and its members.
The ‘MCRMA The Building Envelope Authority’ is a registered Collective Trademark of the Metal Cladding and Roofing Manufacturers Association Limited.

RoofCERT: Rainscreen Cladding
Continued from page 54
“Being able to demonstrate the competency of
operatives and supervisors working on all
buildings, but particularly high-risk buildings, is
critical to improving safety and quality”
James Talman, NFRC
Executive James Talman said: “Being able to
demonstrate the competency of operatives and
supervisors working on all buildings, but
particularly high-risk buildings, is critical to
improving safety and quality. That is why we are
working in collaboration with CITB and the
industry to undertake initial pilots on what model
would work best in achieving this outcome for the
rainscreen cladding industry.”
He continued: “We are pleased that the initial
evidence from this pilot is positive. All the
operatives who took part saw a demonstrable
increase in their knowledge of rainscreen
cladding as a result of the training, as well as an
improvement in their practical skills. We will now
undertake further pilots to keep testing and
refining this model and ensure we have robust
data before we pass on our findings and
recommendations to the CITB.”
He concluded: “We would like to thank everyone
who made this pilot possible, in particular SPV
Group who hosted and provided the operatives for
the day, Keith Wiltshire who led the training
supported by the Siderise technical team and
Academy Consultancy & Design, as well as Ash &
Lacy Construction, CY Associates, EJOT, FixFast,
Fixing Point, Rockwool and Siderise for providing
materials.”
“We were honoured to
be part of the pilot and
to be able to help shape
the course to ensure it
is fit for purpose and
ready to be rolled out to
the industry”
Kate Whatley, SPV Group
Kate Whatley, Commercial Director of SPV Group,
said: “SPV were delighted to support the delivery
of the rainscreen supervisors pilot training course
in our training centre and also place five of our
valued supervisors on the course. With much of
our work involving large-scale building envelope
schemes and being involved with many of the
building safety fund projects, this course was
excellent at ensuring that our supervisors’
knowledge was fully up-to-date with all current
regulations and guidance.”
She added: “We were honoured to be part of the
pilot and to be able to help shape the course to
ensure it is fit for purpose and ready to be rolled
out to the industry. Our supervisors all
commented how interesting and useful the course
was and learnt a lot over the two days’ training. I
wouldn’t hesitate in recommending this course to
those in the cladding sector.”
Competence models keeping pace
Steve Walker, Head of Training and Development
Strategy for CITB, said: “CITB is supporting the
development of a new competence scheme for
building cladding. We are working with the
industry to agree how its competence models can
keep pace with changes in the sector, increasing
qualification take-up and delivering a more
professional sector for the future.”
Contact RoofCERT
020 3940 0053
www.roofcert.co.uk
@RoofCERT
56 TC AUGUST 2021

CERTIFICATE 12/4895
YOU COVERED
WWW.SSQGROUP.COM
helping pe eople
embrace light,
air and space.
LPS 2081: Issue 2
Cert/LPCB ref: 1347a
CALL US: 0333 016 4176
EMAIL: info@rooflights.com
AUGUST 2021 TC 57

Cladmaster Video Series:
THE BENEFITS OF OUTSOURCING
CLADDING FABRICATION
Vivalda Group has released the fourth video in its CladMaster series, in which Andy
Thomas (pictured), Regional Director of Vivalda, explains why outsourcing your cladding
makes sound business sense...
Vivalda Group, the UK’s largest independent
supplier of non-flammable cladding, has
unveiled the fourth video in its
‘CladMaster’ series – looking at the topic of
outsourcing façade fabrication.
While the benefits of undertaking processes such
as sawing, drilling and fixing of brackets to
boards is now widely recognised, there is still a
significant number of contractors who continue to
struggle preparing cladding on-site.
The video, entitled ‘Here’s why outsourcing your
cladding makes sense’, offers three
main reasons why more contractors
and installers should opt for the third
party, offsite fabrication route.
Andy Thomas, Regional Director of Vivalda, said:
“In our experience, outsourcing fabrication brings
three major improvements to any façade
operation: better health and safety, improved
accuracy and reduced costs.
“Using our integrated dust extraction systems
vastly reduces exposure to potentially harmful
particles created during the cutting
or drilling stages. Our
programmable CNC saws integrate
with software to ensure accuracy and
optimisation every time. We can even
supply precision chamfered edges which are often
specified on education or hospital projects. Finally,
our research shows that contractors could be
saving anywhere between 25 and 45% in costs by
outsourcing this stage of the cladding operation.”
To watch the latest CladMaster video from
Vivalda, head over to www.roof-tube.co.uk
ALUMINIUM ISSUES: ‘WE JUST CAN’T SOURCE IT’
Phil Atkinson, Managing Director of North-East-based BTS Facades & Fabrications, has
shone a light on the current situation regarding pricing and supply of aluminium, and the
“perilous” position it has left his and many other businesses in.
Afaçade and rainscreen products fabricator
is raising awareness of, and attempting to
find answers to, the current crisis in terms
of supply, availability and price increases with
regards to aluminium.
Phil Atkinson, Managing Director of North-Eastbased
BTS Facades & Fabrications, has raised his
concerns with local MPs and launched an online
petition in an attempt to find a solution to the
situation which has left his company and many
others in a “perilous situation”.
Speaking to Total Contractor, Phil explained: “80%
of our business is 3mm aluminium and we just
can’t source it. We have written to three local MPs
and started a petition, but the feedback is ‘just
wait for the market to sort itself out’. In the
meantime, UK stockholders are rightly making a
quick buck and European mills are at full
capacity.”
Giving an example of the scale of the situation
businesses like BTS are currently facing, Phil
explained: “A shipping container from China has
risen from £2k to £20k, and the import duty for
China into Europe has made them concentrate on
other markets.”
In an earlier letter to Paul Howell MP, Phil
challenged the MP for Sedgefield to “ask a
question of the Business Secretary in parliament
as to what can be done to secure enough material
for not just us, but our industry.”
Phil highlighted the severity of the situation and
the need for a quick solution in his letter: “There
are several other steel and aluminium fabricators
in the area also, from what I understand, in the
same perilous situation.
“With the raw materials we require becoming much
more difficult and considerably more expensive to
come by, we are at a point where despite the hard
work, long hours and heartbreak we have suffered
this past fifteen months to keep the business going
and the staff in employment, we will have to look at
diversification into our products, short time
working, then lay-offs, redundancies, and if it goes
on too long, the temporary closure of the rainscreen
division within the business.”
Phil is keeping the momentum going as he looks
for answers to this challenging situation, and is in
contact with Tom Jones, CEO of ALFED, the
Aluminium Federation, in the hope that some sort
of solution can be found.
www.btsfabrications.co.uk
58 TC AUGUST 2021

PIR Insulation
PIR EVOLUTION: INSULATING AGAINST
POOR ENERGY PERFORMANCE
By Simon Blackham, Technical Manager at Recticel Insulation.
Innovation in relation to construction products
and materials will continue to be key to our
future built environment’s sustainable delivery
and performance. The evolution of
Polyisocyanurate (PIR) panels is a case in point,
with their superb thermal performance not in any
way being compromised by their improved
useability, making them the go-to solution for
building developers and installers.
PIR panels satisfy two vital factors for designing
effective insulation solutions for new and existing
buildings: low thermal conductivity and durable
performance. Such properties are a prerequisite
for creating healthy, comfortable interiors which
are cost-effective to maintain; an outcome that
will also help reduce instances of fuel poverty
throughout the UK. As a member of the National
Home Improvement Council, Recticel echoes the
non-profit organisation’s commitment to
promoting the benefits of safe
and sustainable homes as a
means to improve living
standards for the health
and wellbeing of
residents. This can be
achieved by improving the
insulative performance of the
UK’s under-performing housing stock
and in-turn, lead to better management of energy
resources.
Benefits of PIR
According to the Insulation Manufacturers
Association (IMA), the average UK household
spends around £1,230 on fuel bills each year
which can be up to 50% more than necessary
due to the lack of energy-saving measures being
implemented in the home. Poorly-insulated
building fabric is a major contributor to domestic
energy wastage. To help combat this, the
construction industry is increasingly turning to
PIR, rather than mineral fibre-based insulation.
There are numerous benefits associated with PIR
insulation. Its closed-cell structure means it
doesn’t absorb water, allowing the thermal
performance and reliability of the product to be
retained over time. When it comes to installation,
the PIR boards are lightweight, less cumbersome
to transport and easy to cut. PIR helps reduce onsite
labour times and in-turn, overall build cost.
Unlike its fibrous counterpart, PIR doesn’t shed
fibres – which can be inhaled – and causes less
irritation whilst being handled. This results in a
more comfortable application for installers whilst
the improved performance reduces energy use,
thus benefiting the environment over the lifetime
of the property.
Left: Simon Blackham, Recticel Insulation.
Space saver
With a lambda value as low as up to
0.022 W/mK, PIR provides excellent
performance. This, coupled with its
slim composition, means it requires
less space to achieve the same U-
value as other insulation materials. This
is of particular benefit to housebuilders looking to
maximise interior living space in multi-property
developments with limited plot size.
Unlike fibrous insulation, which can deteriorate
over time when damp sets in, PIR insulation’s
structural strength enables a consistent
performance that will last, negating costly repairs
and maintaining its thermal qualities. PIR
insulation is also renowned for its adaptability. It
is the ideal solution for a range of applications
such as floors, walls, pitched and flat roofing.
Innovations, such as the tongue and groove joint
which features on all four edges of the
Eurowall+, have helped further establish PIR
performance levels. The 10mm air gap, which is
created by a 90mm Eurowall+ PIR board
achieving a U-value of 0.18 W/m²K in a
traditional 100mm masonry cavity wall, makes
for a more convenient fit for bricklayers when it
comes to installing the insulation.
Therefore, when it comes to specifying insulation
for new or refurbishment building projects, there is
much to consider: What insulation thickness is
required to achieve the desired U-value? Will this
require the building’s structure or design to be
altered? How durable is the insulation, and what is
its lifespan? How easy is it to fit, and what will this
mean in terms of site hours and labour costs? For
each question, PIR’s insulation and installation
capabilities ensure a positive answer is at hand.
60 TC AUGUST 2021

(QUITE INTERESTING)
INSULATION FA
ACTS
By QI (Quantum Insulation Ltd)
Case study: Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire
Eurowall+, Recticel’s full-fill PIR insulation board, provided the airtight
solution for two stunning new-build properties in Gerrards Cross,
Buckinghamshire.
The detached, five-bedroom houses, designed with thermal efficiency in
mind, required an insulation panel that achieved lower U-values whilst
maintaining traditional cavity widths. Eurowall+ proved the ideal solution.
Eurowall+, the first rigid full-fill insulation board to feature a tongue-andgroove
joint on all four edges, is capable of achieving a U-value of 0.18
W/m²K in a traditional 100mm masonry cavity wall. Its beneficial size,
coupled with its improved airtightness from the tongue and groove joint,
extracts more performance compared to typical partial-fill solutions
without widening the footprint of the external wall.
In total, 500m² of Eurowall+ panels were used for the walls of the £2.5m
properties. The panels’ excellent resistance to external moisture will play a
vital role in maintaining a healthy, comfortable interior environment for the
occupants of these impressive homes.
Products such as Eurowall+ offer proof of how technical ingenuity can be
used to transform a standard PIR panel into a product of outstanding
usability and thermal performance for the benefit of the installer and end
user alike. It proves the theory that innovation brings reward. In the case
of Eurowall+, this means better insulated, sustainable properties with
interiors that optimise occupant comfort and wellbeing and are less
impactful on the surrounding environment.
C ondensation risk when insulating above and below
the deck
As World Governments seek to address the issues created by climate change,
legislation to reduce carbon emissions is increasing the thermal performance
requirements of roofs and walls. With legislation change increasing the
greater and greater. This increases the overall roof height and is leading to
required threshold, upstand and balustrade heights, in both warm and
inverted roof design.
and below the structural deck, but this itself leads to a number of potential
issues such as taking up ceiling void space needed for M&E services, split
to the underside of the deck and most importantly of all, the creation of
issue here is the creation of condensation,
which is often mistaken for a roof
leak: and none of us want that call back.
Condensation is an accepted factor in thermal performance calculations,
with the creation of condensation managed through calculation to
BS 5250:2011+A1:2016 Code of practice for control of
condensation in
buildings, but if these calculations are not run or are ignored there could be
trouble ahead.
Let’s look at an example of
over/under insulation to explore the risks.
U-value of 0.11 W/m 2 K. A high-performance market competitive XPS
insulation such as Ravago Ravatherm XPS X 300 SL would need to be
want 100mm of foil faced PIR on the underside of the slab. This would
certainly achieve the U-value, but a condensation risk analysis shows that 3
grammes of condensation is formed per m 2 over January and February. In
a 90m 2 roof that’s 270 grammes of water in the ceiling voids; a quarter of a
litre of water. That’s going to cause wet plasterboard and the roofer is going
to get a call to look for a leak that isn’t there.
On the face of it, it may seem a reasonable assumption to accommodate
more insulation within the structure to enable the reduction of insulation
above, but in truth this can cause more problems than it solves and unless
seen as an issue within a standard U-value calculation alone. As a rule of
thumb, if the insulation above the deck is not twice as thick as the insulation
beneath the deck there will be condensation forming.
Next month’s QI by QI – Adhesive bonding of insulation boards.
Contact Recticel Insulation
www.recticelinsulation.com/en-gb/home
@RecticelInsulUK
AUGUST 2021 TC 61

All You Need to Know About:
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT: BS 6229: 2018
Designers and installers of flat roofing solutions are often told what they ‘should’ know
about products and standards. In this ongoing series Rob Firman, of Polyfoam XPS, looks
at different aspects of flat roofing design and construction and helps to demystify them.
This month’s focus is the British Standard for flat roofing, BS 6229: 2018.
What is BS 6229?
To give it its full title, BS 6229: 2018 ‘Flat roofs
with continuously supported flexible waterproof
coverings. Code of practice’ describes best
practice for the design, construction and
maintenance of flat roofs.
A flat roof is defined as having a pitch of no
greater than 10 degrees to the horizontal, but the
recommendations in BS 6229 can be applied to
roofs with a steeper pitch.
Its guidance applies to roofs with a timber,
concrete or metal deck. The waterproofing types
addressed by the standard are hot and cold liquid
applied systems, reinforced bitumen membranes,
plastic and rubber sheets, and mastic asphalt.
The standard is not an adopted European or
international standard, and its contents are
guidance and recommendations only. But as a
code of practice developed by the UK flat roofing
industry, BS 6229 carries weight.
What are the key areas of guidance in
BS 6229?
The standard recognises four types of roof system:
warm, inverted, cold and uninsulated flat roofs. It
also emphasises the heightened risk of
condensation caused by hybrid roof constructions.
A particularly significant section of the
recommendations concerns drainage. Advice on
minimum falls sets out how to ensure that a roof
drains properly, including avoiding back falls in a
zero falls flat roof. To aid detailing, BS 6229
includes typical level access arrangements for
the different roof systems.
“It’s not uncommon to
see detailed drawings
where the correct
minimum fall has not
been allowed for”
Meanwhile, thermal performance guidance
includes: the calculation of U-values; how to treat
point thermal bridges that prevent the installation
of continuous insulation; and what correction
factors to apply to inverted roofs. There are also
short sections covering green and blue roofs.
There is limited guidance on condensation risk
analysis, as the authors of BS 6229 agreed that
the topic is better covered by BS 5250 Code of
practice for control of condensation in
buildings. There is some specific guidance
relating to winter condensation risk in flat
roofs, however.
The rest of BS 6229 lists commonly used flat
roofing materials and relevant standards,
highlights issues relating to workmanship, and
describes how roof inspections and maintenance
can ensure the system achieves its desired
service life.
How familiar should you be with the
recommendations of BS 6229?
Many of BS 6229’s principles and
recommendations are widely communicated
across the flat roofing sector, so you might be
more familiar with the standard than you realise.
Issues occur, however, when its
recommendations are not taken into account at
the right time.
For example, it’s not uncommon to see detailed
drawings where the correct minimum fall has not
been allowed for. A project may be at detailed
design stage or, even worse, already on site, and
it comes to light that the falls need to be
adjusted. If they’re not, the insulation layer may
run straight into a door threshold, or there may
not be space to accommodate the necessary
upstand height above the roof finish.
The question is therefore asked: is there a
thinner insulation product we can use? What is
the minimum thickness of insulation we can get
away with?
In some cases, no amount of helpful advice can
overcome the issue. As a consequence, the
design has to be compromised and a portion of
the roof does not achieve the worst-case U-value
of 0.35 W/m²K – stated in BS 6229 – to avoid
surface condensation.
Anybody involved in flat roofing should, therefore,
be familiar with BS 6229, and apply its
recommendations from the outset of a project.
For more information about BS 6229 and the
certification of inverted flat roof solutions,
download a copy of our new white paper at
polyfoamxps.co.uk.
Contact Polyfoam XPS
www.polyfoamxps.co.uk
@polyfoamXPS
62 TC AUGUST 2021

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AUGUST 2021 TC 63

Sustainability
HOW SUSTAINABLE IS
YOUR INSULATION?
By Christopher Price IEMA, Technical Development
Manager at Knauf Insulation.
In June of this year, the government’s target of
cutting carbon emissions by 78% by 2035
became law. To achieve this ambition, net zero
homes must become a reality – whether the
homes are new-build or refurb. As a result,
regulations are changing to introduce ever-stricter
thermal performance requirements, such as the
update to Part L coming into force next year.
The move towards sustainability is not just being
driven by government. Homeowners are keen to
do their bit with more than half of UK residents
saying they want to make their homes more
environmentally friendly. This desire rises among
prospective buyers with 89% saying they were
looking for a ‘greener’ home. And of course, many
installers and contractors also want to do the
right thing by choosing the most sustainable
products when planning their projects.
It’s widely known that insulation plays an
essential role in making properties more energy
efficient. It reduces the need to run boilers, heat
pumps or air conditioning units, cutting energy
use, carbon emissions and bills.
As with thermal, fire and acoustic performance,
when it comes to sustainability, not every
insulation product is the same. In fact, products
that deliver almost identical energy savings on a
building can each have a completely different
impact on the environment.
Plastic packaging is a good example. It affects
every industry and public awareness of the issue
is high, so it’s something you may be asked
about. To help installers and contractors reduce
the amount of plastic waste on site, Knauf
Insulation is compressing its Glass Mineral Wool
products down up to a tenth of their original size.
We are also introducing a new packaging film
which is made from a minimum of 30% recycled
plastic. This means there’s more product per
pack or per pallet, so less plastic packaging is
used per m² of insulation. Compression
packaging also helps to reduce transport related
carbon emissions because you can load more
insulation onto each vehicle.
By contrast, materials such as rigid boards cannot
be compressed without damaging the insulation.
Equally important is what will happen to the
packaging once the products have been
unwrapped. Responsible manufacturers use film
that can itself be recycled.
Another factor is whether the product is made
from raw materials and if so, do they come from
sustainable sources or rapidly depleting reserves
such as fossil fuels?
Knauf Insulation’s Rock Mineral Wool products
are manufactured from volcanic rock that comes
from naturally abundant sources. An increasing
proportion is now recycled material from slag, a
waste product from blast furnaces. While our
Glass Mineral Wool products contain up to 80%
recycled content, most of which is locally
collected recycled glass.
Where materials come from is not the only
consideration when looking at how a product is
made. If chemicals, such as formaldehyde, have
been added, it can result in high levels of
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – airborne
pollutants that can cause health conditions
such as headaches, asthma and even cancer in
extreme cases.
Evaluating the ingredients used to manufacture a
Above: Using recycled glass cullet to manufacture Glass
Mineral Wool insulation uses less energy than is needed for
virgin raw materials.
The DECLARE Label shows whether construction products
contain chemicals featured on the ‘Red List’ – substances
designated as harmful to health and the environment.
product can be time consuming but there are
third-party schemes you can look for. One
example is Eurofins Indoor Air Comfort, a
European-wide accreditation for low VOC
products. Knauf Insulation was the first insulation
manufacturer to achieve the Eurofins Indoor Air
Comfort Gold Certification for its products
manufactured with ECOSE Technology, its unique
bio-based binder that contains no added
formaldehyde or phenol.
Similarly, the DECLARE Label shows whether
construction products contain chemicals featured
on the ‘Red List’ – substances designated as
harmful to health and the environment. The
DECLARE Label provides a straightforward
ingredients list, together with information about
embodied carbon and product life expectancy.
Knauf Insulation’s Glass Mineral Wool including
its Supafil Blowing Wool range are the first
insulation products in the UK to have been
awarded DECLARE ‘Red List Free’ status.
By choosing insulation products that are
themselves good for the environment, you will be
able to deliver the energy-efficient buildings the
UK needs, plus ensure those buildings are better
for your customers and better for the world.
Contact Knauf Insulation
www.knaufinsulation.co.uk
@KnaufUK
64 TC AUGUST 2021

Facades: Cavity Barriers
BUILD IN FIRE PROTECTION: CAVITY
BARRIERS FOR MASONRY FACADES
By Graham Laws, Technical Director at Siderise Insulation.
Bricks, stone, clay, and concrete have been
popular building materials for centuries.
We not only rely on the inherent
robustness of these masonry materials – offering
fire resistance, acoustic benefits, and the ability
to withstand harsh weather – but enjoy the tones
and textures they offer. However, as the demands
on construction have changed, so too have the
ways we build masonry façades and protect them
against fire.
Development of masonry façades
In the 20th century, it became standard to build
brick facades with an inner and outer leaf. This
creates a cavity between which allows water to
drain away. Whilst beneficial for preventing damp
and mould, and providing space to install insulation,
these voids can cause serious issues in the event of
fire – acting as a chimney, funnelling flames, smoke
and heat up the building and allowing fire to spread
into different building compartments.
Within these cavities, there are other materials
and interactions to consider, including cavity
trays, membranes, dampproof course (DPC),
masonry support angles and brick ties. This has
become more complex in recent years with the
increasing use of steel framing systems (SFS)
and sheathing boards, rather than traditional
non-combustible blockwork for the inner leaf, to
speed up construction time.
These risks led to the legal requirement for
vertical and horizontal cavity barriers and fire
stops – blocks of fire-resistant material which
seal the cavity and prevent fire spread. For most
masonry build ups there will be breather bricks or
air brick vents in each compartment zone – the
cavity will typically require a standard ‘full-fill’
cavity barrier. These are installed between the
inner leaf and masonry wall (and therefore must
be tested for use against a DPC). Even if the
cavity is fully filled with A1 rated insulation, the
cavity will need to be sealed at key points, and it
is important to ensure the cavity barriers always
cut through the insulation to be secured directly
onto the inner leaf, unless they have been
successfully tested mounted to the specific
insulation being used.
Dealing with inconsistencies
Even with these products available, there are still
some masonry-specific design details which, if not
considered properly, could cause serious fire risks.
For example, decorative offset bricks, typically done
around windows or doors, create an inconsistent
cavity depth which is difficult to seal off effectively.
For straightforward applications, it may be
possible to notch a standard full-fill barrier so it
fills the cavity, or to place a board into the gap to
flatten out the irregularity. However, a more
innovative approach is to use an intumescent
barrier, especially for more complex brick
patterns. These are designed to maintain a
desired ventilation air gap or to fill most of the
space under normal circumstances. But, in the
event of a fire, the intumescent will activate at a
critical temperature (typically around 130°C) and
expand to form a robust seal across the gap.
Projecting balconies are also a common sight on
masonry buildings, but they have historically
lacked a standard tested approach for
firestopping around the thick steel brackets. In
the past, this has typically been resolved on a
project-by-project basis in one of two ways.
Either by filling the web of the typically I-shaped
bracket with a non-combustible material, which
may still lead to the bracket heating up, and is
vulnerable to variable workmanship on site. Or
installing cavity barriers underneath the bracket,
which requires the inner leaf to have suitable fire
resistance to maintain compartmentation. Both
approaches have their pitfalls and would require
approval from numerous different people.
However, new barrier solutions have come to
market which have been specifically designed
and tested to enclose and protect balcony
brackets, thereby simplifying this complex detail
and providing a more robust solution.
Trained and tested
As with any fire safety product, it is essential to
make sure the cavity barriers you use are thirdparty
tested to ensure they are fit for purpose. It
is also crucial to ensure the teams installing them
onsite have the right knowledge and skills to do it
correctly. Installation training programmes, often
provided by manufacturers, can help to cement
understanding of installation methods, provide a
benchmark of what a ‘good’ installation looks like,
and improve general levels of competency. Many
manufacturers can also offer project-specific site
support, including inspections and auditing.
Designed for masonry
The enduring popularity of brickwork façades,
combined with the increasingly strict regulations
around fire and building safety, means there is
clear need for contractors to ensure they both
understand the complexities of this application,
and that they make the most of passive fire
protection solutions that have been specifically
engineered and tested for masonry build ups.
Contact Siderise Insulation
www.siderise.com
@Siderise
66 TC AUGUST 2021

Specify
responsibly
Roofshield ®
Construction membranes may be hidden after the project is complete, but their role in
ensuring proper heat, air and moisture movement through the building envelope and
safeguarding the health of the building and occupants is essential.
Roofshield has been the trusted industry standard air- and vapour-permeable underlay
for pitched roofs for over 20 years. Certified by the BBA, LABC and LABSS, Roofshield
provides a fully ventilated roof without the need for any ventilation accessories.
Specify responsibly:
It’s what’s on the inside that counts.
01250 872261
www.proctorgroup.com

Insulation Updates
ROCKWOOL HARDROCK Multi-Fix (DD) and as well as fire and acoustic protection for flat
Tapered have been certified by the British roofs. Alongside achieving European Reaction to
Board of Agrément (BBA) following rigorous Fire Classification of A2-s1,d0 non-combustible,
testing of their durability, thermal and fire HARDROCK Multi-Fix meets the highest LPCB
performance.
standards: (LPS 1181: Part 1 Ext A).
For further info on all these updates and more, visit www.total-contractor.co.uk
MULTI GAINS FOR ROCKWOOL
The independent accreditation gives specifiers and
contractors additional confidence in the flat roof
insulation solutions, validating their ability to meet
Building Regulation requirements.
The BBA certification is the latest in a series of
accreditations for HARDROCK Multi-Fix (DD) and
Tapered, which were developed to provide thermal,
“HARDROCK Multi-Fix is a robust flat roof solution
that’s tried and trusted throughout our industry,
but this additional independent validation gives
specifiers and contractors even greater confidence
in selecting the system for their projects,”
explained Will Wigfield, Product Manager –
Building Envelope, ROCKWOOL UK. “Traditionally,
flat roof insulation has been chosen on its thermal
efficiency alone, but at ROCKWOOL, we believe flat
roofs require much greater protection to provide a
safe and comfortable environment for building
users.”
www.rockwool.com/uk/flat-roof-hub
TAPERED SOLUTION TOPS OFF PROJECT
Situated at the heart of the prestigious North Cambridge Research and Design Cluster, the Maurice Wilkes
Building offers five floors of Grade ‘A’ office space topped with Kingspan Thermataper TT47.
The design from Barber Casanovas Ruffles meets the requirements of the wider St John’s Innovation Park – that the
Once the system was delivered to
building be classic, rational and timeless – whilst adding drama with a tented canopy on the façade above the southern site, contractors were able to
complete a fast-track installation.
entrance. Vinci Construction UK acted as main contractor on the scheme, which has achieved a BREEAM rating of ‘Very
Good’. To reach this, a number of passive and active measures have been implemented within the building design. To
limit heat loss from the expansive flat roof, whilst also ensuring effective drainage, Kingspan Thermataper TT47 was specified. The tapered insulation
system combines rigid flat packer boards, tapered boards and pre-mitred hip and valley boards. With thermal conductivities as low as 0.24 W/mK, it
provided an efficient, lightweight solution for the roof of the Maurice Wilkes building which eliminated the need for a structural fall on the roof. The
application was supported by Kingspan’s specialist tapered roofing service, who used the roof plans from Barber Casanovas Ruffles to develop a
detailed tapered roofing scheme. This ensures that the surface will drain effectively and allowed the target U-value of 0.15 W/m²K to be met with a
minimal construction depth, helping the project team to achieve credits within the BREEAM assessment. www.kingspaninsulation.co.uk/
GET THE FULL PICTURE: ROCKWOOL 360
ROCKWOOL has launched the next generation in virtual product experiences, allowing customers to explore
its non-combustible insulation solutions on their terms.
Available 24/7 on its website, ROCKWOOL 360 allows users to learn more about the benefits of stone wool, watch A further feature of ROCKWOOL 360 is a
immersive product demonstrations and access an on-demand CPD library whether it is three o’clock in the virtual Knowledge Hub packed with case
study videos and informative films of
afternoon or three o’clock in the morning. In ROCKWOOL 360, users can watch products get put through their products in action.
paces in tests not possible in real life. Experiments include its non-combustible insulation being used to protect a
classic car from a 1000ºC degree flame thrower, and what happens when an ice cream is put in the oven when encased in its materials. Users can also
explore a sound pod testing acoustic performance across a range of decibels, and a 3D demo room enables visitors to discover solutions in-situ and
access product information without leaving the space. In a significant development for construction professionals, ROCKWOOL 360 features an ondemand
CPD library, allowing visitors to learn about topics including fire performance in tall buildings, compartmentation and the building envelope at a
time to suit. On completion, users will be issued with a certificate to add to their CPD portfolio. www.rockwool.com/uk/360
68 TC AUGUST 2021

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Insulation Updates
For further info on all these updates and more, visit www.total-contractor.co.uk
A FINE FINISH THANKS TO STO
A large, new residential project has been
completed with the use of a Sto external wall
insulation system and Sto brick slip finish, to
create a visually striking new development in
the heart of the UK’s second largest city.
The 225-apartment Arden Gate development,
from Birmingham’s specialist residential
developer Court Collaboration, provides an
excellent example of Sto’s ability to deliver full
integrated façade solutions for high-profile
developments of this type.
“This was intended as a high-level project which
combined excellent design with high-quality
materials,” explained Sto Project Manager
Jeremy Ash. “The use of our StoTherm Mineral M
external wall insulation ensured that the building
would perform well from a thermal insulation
point of view. Beyond that, the decision to use
our Sto Resin Brick Slips as the external façade
finish allowed the architects to combine both
modern and traditional elements and achieve
the appearance they required.
“We had recently specified the StoTherm Mineral
system and Sto’s Resin Brick Slips for an
adjacent building and been extremely pleased
with the result,” explained Doug Brown of project
architects Corstorphine + Wright. “They had
allowed us to create a very attractive finish for
the building’s facades, providing a very
convincing brick appearance but without some
of the problems which conventional bricks bring,
such as mortar stains and uneven surfaces. We
were more than happy to specify them again for
the Arden Gate development, and once again,
we were very impressed with the end result.”
The BBA-certified StoTherm Mineral system
uses highly durable mineral fibre boards which
provide unrivalled fire protection and high
thermal performance. It has an efficient, singleleaf
construction which does not reduce space
inside the building, and it can be installed
without the need for additional expansion joints.
In the case of Arden Gate, the installation was
completed using Sto’s unique Sto-Rotofix Plus
mechanical fixings. These spiral fixings allow the
insulation boards to be installed and then easily
adjusted to accommodate any unevenness in
the substrate, and so create a smooth and even
external surface. They offer a safe, strong and
flexible method for installing insulation boards,
to give superior resistance to high wind loadings
when compared to a typical rail system
alternative. The fixings also allow the creation of
a cavity to satisfy NHBC requirements.
www.sto.com
KNAUF DELIVERS THE PERFECT PACKAGE
Knauf Insulation has launched new packaging
to make it easier to choose, use, transport
and handle its high-performance, noncombustible
insulation products, and to
further reduce their carbon footprint.
The manufacturer says the changes include new
designs across the whole range, an upgrade taking
its ‘industry-leading’ compression technology to a
10:1 ratio, and new, more environmentally-friendly
packaging.
“We’ve listened to our customers, but we have also
been proactive, trying to pre-empt future needs,”
said Vanessa Rae, Marketing Director at Knauf
Insulation Northern Europe.
“We know how important it is to choose the right
product for the application quickly, and move and
store it efficiently, whether in-branch or on-site. We
also know that sustainability matters more than
ever, so we’ve taken these steps to reduce our
products’ carbon footprint further so customers can
rely on us to help them tick the green boxes for their
projects.”
The new packaging designs feature bigger and
clearer product names. Products are colour-coded
into thermal conductivity groups consistent across
the whole Glass Mineral Wool range, and essential
features such as the Euroclass A1 reaction to fire
classification and ECOSE Technology, Knauf
Insulation’s unique bio-based binder, are more
easily identifiable. The Earthwool brand has been
phased out to simplify the branding structure, and
a new brand, Rocksilk, has been introduced for the
Rock Mineral Wool product range.
The manufacturer says further upgrade of the
compression technology on the Glass Mineral Wool
range enables, on average, 15% more insulation
per roll and 25% more packs on each pallet for
slabs. Rae continued: “Space is always at a
premium, whether in-branch, in a vehicle or on
site, so we’ve pushed our industry-leading
compression technology even further. It means less
handling and transport, and more efficient storage
for all our customers across the supply chain. It’s
another example of how you always get more with
Knauf Insulation. By simplifying product choice and
making our high-performance insulation more
environmentally friendly, we’re ensuring our
customers can focus on delivering better
buildings,” concluded Rae.
www.knaufinsulation.co.uk
70 TC AUGUST 2021

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Updates
For further info on all these updates and more, visit www.total-contractor.co.uk
SNICKERS: PROTECT YOUR KNEES
Snickers Workwear’s
With the kneepad pockets in
slim-fit kneepads specifically for the slim-fit
Kneeguard is a fully
Snickers Workwear trousers,
trousers.
certified, trademarked
system for knee protection
against kneeling injuries and
everyday knocks at work.
According to Snickers, the
you can adjust the kneepads
to different heights to ensure
correct positioning for you,
ensuring maximum
protection.
Snickers says the unique design features also
make the kneepads ‘extremely flexible when you
walk, yet they close around your knees when you
kneel down – without your knees sliding off when
you move around’.
combination of Kneeguard
pads and the Kneeguard PRO
positioning system in Snickers
workwear trousers is a crucial
combination for reliable knee
protection.
Protect against kneeling injuries with Snickers.
There’s also different types of
kneepads to fit different types
of trousers, to suit different
jobs on site, such as the
specialist kneepads for the
Floorlayer trousers and the
With ‘superb’ impact protection, the D30 Ergo
kneepads are made of a unique material that
moulds around your knee to provide enhanced
impact protection.
www.snickersworkwear.co.uk
GLOVES DESIGNED FOR DEXTERITY AND COMFORT
Snickers Workwear now has an extensive collection of work glove styles in a wide range of sizes,
developed for different workplaces and tasks – designed for dexterity, durability, comfort and
precision.
With advanced features and material combinations, Snickers says there’s something to suit a wide variety of
trades and workplaces, weather conditions and hazardous environments.
The advanced ergonomic designs ensure strong, secure grips, while ‘sophisticated patterns’, vents and ribs,
combined with durable materials, deliver cut-protection, ventilation, waterproofing and insulation.
What’s more, for specialist use where health and safety standards are key requirements, the gloves are EN
certified for performance and protection in ‘hazardous and foul weather environments’.
www.snickersworkwear.co.uk/products/109
FIRST CLASS SERVICE WITH MAKITA
Leading power tool manufacturer, Makita UK has unveiled its new Factory Service Centre (FSC) in Blakelands,
Milton Keynes.
Makita UK has relocated its Milton Keynes Factory Service Centre site to a new, larger location to house regional servicing
activity. The new 20,000-sqft premises in Blakelands will enable Makita to bolster its customer repair and service support
commitments and completes a portfolio of three dedicated centres in London, Glasgow and Milton Keynes. Makita’s Factory
Service Centres deliver an exceptional service and repair offering for end-users. Products covered under the company’s
warranty agreement can be posted (by arranging a collection) or dropped off (with prior booking), at each FSC for Makita’s technical experts and engineers to
perform product servicing, detailed diagnostics and high standards of repair work when needed. With a focus on improving levels of technical knowledge across
the construction sector, the new larger premises in Blakelands will also be used to host Makita UK accredited service training, as well as Authorised Service
Agents (ASA) workshops and seminars. Tony Coleman, Technical Manager at Makita UK, commented: “Opening this new, larger site is testament to the growing
popularity of our tools, as well as our long-lasting commitment to delivering exceptional customer support. We’re now in a better position than ever to deal with
service and repair demands, as well as to promote high-quality industry training.” www.makitauk.com/factory-service-centres
72 TC AUGUST 2021

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Updates
Tool theft has cost tradespeople in London
more than £38 million in the last two years,
and £17.5 million in 2020 alone, Metropolitan
Police data has revealed.
As the construction and trades industries
attempt to recover from lockdown bans on nonessential
work, new data shows there were
28,338 tool thefts reported across London from
2019 up to May 2021.
Barnet, Enfield, Ealing, Waltham Forest and
Haringey are the five boroughs where figures
were highest, with thefts in Barnet (1,917)
accounting for nearly 15% of the total.
By contrast, Merton (475), Richmond upon
Thames (439), Hammersmith and Fulham (371),
Kensington and Chelsea (371) and Kingston upon
Thames (327) suffered the fewest tool thefts.
The findings, collated by London plant hire
For further info on all these updates and more, visit www.total-contractor.co.uk
COSTLY TOOL THEFTS
specialists Herts Tools, come from a freedom of
information request to the Metropolitan Police.
The data reveals the impact of tool theft on
livelihoods, the cost of the crime and the most
affected areas in London.
Thieves are 10 times more likely to steal powered
hand tools than non-powered hand tools, with
32,067 taken from 2019 to 2021, compared to
2,993 non-powered hand tools. Only 1% of those
powered hand tools were recovered, underlining
the need to prevent theft in the first place. Building
materials were retrieved more than other items,
but even they were recovered just 4% of the time.
The average cost of tool theft per month, so far in
2021, is £1.46 million.
Stefano Lobban, Director at Herts Tools, said:
“It’s been a tough couple of years for tradesmen
and people working in construction, with Covid-
19 really restricting their ability to work. The last
thing they need is their tools being stolen, but
this new data shows us just how common that
reality is, particularly in London. Unfortunately,
thieves are often attracted to high-price items
like powered hand tools. Of course, when these
items are stolen, it’s even harder for tradesmen
to replace them due to the high cost. We just
hope people take these new figures as a warning
and make sure they’re vigilant.”
www.hertstools.co.uk
How to prevent tool theft:
• Don’t store tools in your van overnight
• If you have to leave tools in your van, park in a busy
area covered by CCTV
• Get an alarm, a lockable interior cabinet or interior
deadbolts for your van
• Make your tools less attractive to thieves by
removing brand name plates and marking them with
neon spray paint
• Use stickers to tell thieves about security measures
that act as a deterrent
MAKE WORK EASIER WITH MAKITA
Makita UK has expanded its leading LXT range of cordless machines with the launch of several new
products including a new 18V LXT Brushless Disc Cutter, an 18V LXT Brushless Angle Drill and the muchanticipated
18V LXT Brushless Multi Tool.
With the DTM52 Multi Tool, operators can get the job done quickly and efficiently as this incredibly versatile
Above: The DTM52 Multi Tool from Makita.
machine delivers up to 20,000 oscillations per minute and offers 12 angle settings through 360º, providing
perfect blade positioning at any working direction. The tool has been designed for user comfort and
improved handling, with a small diameter body that is easy to grip. It includes variable speed control, so users can easily adjust the output depending on
the task – and constant speed control ensures optimum operation at all times.
The DCC500 (125mm) Disc Cutter is ideal for cutting masonry products with a diamond blade. To maximise user productivity, this machine has a no load
speed of 8,800rpm and a cutting capacity of 27-40mm depending on the angle of the bevel. The DCC500 also features Makita’s Automatic Torque Drive
Technology (ADT) that works to automatically change the cutting speed according to the load conditions for optimum operation.
The DDA540 Angle Drill can be used across a range of projects and is ideal for drilling in awkward spaces. The DDA540 also enables forward or reverse rotation
so the bit can be easily removed from the work material. This machine delivers a maximum 70Nm of torque and a no-load speed of up to 1,400rpm – with two
speed options so that users can easily match the output to the task at hand. For ease of use and visibility, the DDA540 features an LED job light.
Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita, said: “Thanks to Makita’s innovative LXT battery technology, the DCC500, DDA450 and DTM52 deliver
outstanding performance for increased user efficiency and productivity. What’s more, the inclusion of Makita’s Brushless ‘BL’ motor means that the
DCC500, DDA450 and DTM52 offer increased power and run-time. With fewer moving parts within the motor causing friction, efficiency is improved and
the amount of heat produced is reduced, resulting in less wear and tear on the tool. As a result, users can continue to work disruption free for longer.”
www.makitauk.com
74 TC AUGUST 2021

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