Top of the class Sika-Trocal roof system ensures primary school extension’s smart delivery

Sika-Trocal’s flexible, easy-to-apply waterproof roofing system ensured the uniform, aesthetically-pleasing delivery of a complex, five-classroom primary school extension in time for the new term.

Kirkliston Primary School has been awarded £5 million to redevelop its site in Kirkliston, Edinburgh. The funding will create eight classrooms, a new gym, dining hall and other sports facilities. Developers have supplied the grant as part of a deal to build 700 new homes in the town. The extended and additional classrooms will enable the school to accommodate an extra 140 pupils.

Hadden Construction, appointed as the project’s main contractors by Edinburgh City Council, is carrying out the redevelopment in three phases. The most recent phase saw sub-contractors, McConnell Roofing, install 700m2 of waterproof roofing to the five-classroom extension.

Smith Scott Mullan Architects required a roofing system which not only offered a long-term guarantee against water ingress but also provided the building with a uniform, aesthetically-pleasing finish – an incredibly challenging task given the complex nature of the application. For these reasons, Sika-Trocal SGK was specified for the project.

An adhered single-ply roofing membrane, Sika-Trocal SGK, is suitable for new-build and refurbishment applications. Its easy-to-fit properties proved an additional benefit during the Kirkliston installation, as the five-classroom extension had to be completed during school holidays to avoid disruption to lessons.

The roofing installation for the extended classrooms was far from a straightforward operation. The buildings contained three roofs up to 70-degrees in pitch. Rooflights, ventilation systems and large vertical upstands also had to be accommodated during the application. The experience and skill of McConnell Roofing’s on-site team, along with the flexibility of the Sika-Trocal SGK system, ensured potential challenges were comfortably overcome.

The school roof had a timber deck which the McConnell roofing team covered with Sika S-Vap 5000E SA, a multi-layer, self-adhesive vapour control sheet made of polymer-modified bitumen with a glass-fibre mat reinforcement and an aluminium foil as top layer. This was followed by thermal insulation board, and then Sika-Trocal SGK membrane with a fleece backing in slate grey, to give the roof a superb, uniform look.

To provide the roof’s sharp, straight edges, Sika-Trocal Metal Sheet Type S was prefabricated offsite and applied to all perimeters, with changes of direction and plane ensuring a crisp, simple detail was achieved. Metal ribbing was also applied, giving the overall roof a smart, standing-seam appearance. The architect also required a standing seam rib profile to give the roof a zinc-effect finish. This was installed to the entire vertical and sloped roofs at 600mm centres. Sika-Trocal was able to provide this detail which was hot-air welded to the membrane.

Despite the roof’s intricate application, McConnell Roofing completed the project – which started in June 2016 – in less than three months, meeting the client’s strict deadline and full satisfaction. Sika-Trocal SGK comes with a guarantee of up to 20 years, providing long-term peace of mind for the client that their building has been long-term safeguarded against the risk of water ingress.

For more information please call 01707 394444, or visit www.sika.co.uk.