The building that would be the St Margaret’s Primary School was officially opened by Robert Leitch the local parish vicar in 1889 to provide education to children up to fourteen. The school underwent many changes in structure throughout its over-100-year existence, all whilst continuing to provide a high level of education within the school.
In 2012, it underwent further change in the form of a huge modernisation project that would extend the school and allow more students to be taken. Unfortunately, leaks were reported on the older parts of the building and despite localised repairs the problems remained.
The Challenge
Due to the reports of leaks, it was imperative that the roofs in question were inspected to find where the issues were originating, and so, a site survey was undertaken. The survey highlighted that the original build-up consisted of asphalt on a timber deck, and that this original system was in an aged condition. It was also shown that standing water and vegetarian had developed on the roof. In order to protect the building from further leaking it was determined that the roof would benefit greatly from the installation of a high-performance waterproofing system.
Waterproofing would not be the only recommendation; the roof was also to receive a full thermal upgrade which would provide the added benefit of decreased fuel bills and energy consumption for the school.
Taking all factors into consideration, the Polyroof Technical Team began creating a bespoke specification that would provide the details needed to make these recommendations a reality.
Polyroof Approved Contractor Thomas Cassie & Sons was specifically chosen to undertake this project due to their experience in liquid roofing systems. With a specification and approved contractor ready, the project could officially commence.
Along with waterproofing improvements, there would also be improvements made to the falls which would reduce the amount of standing water present on the roof.
The Solution
Being that the existing build-up was made of asphalt, it could be retained and used as the Vapour Control Layer. Taking this into consideration, the area was inspected for defects and repaired where necessary. These repairs to the area would create a good solid base for the new Protec warm roof system to be installed. Once repairs had been made to the original waterproofing, the asphalt surface was thoroughly cleaned and prepared, this meant clearing any vegetation present and clearing any debris that may have accumulated during repairs. A timber hard edge was fixed to the exposed perimeter edges and a new 18mm Polyroof-approved OSB3 was mechanically fixed to the inner and top face of the parapet walls to create a substrate for the later Protec System installation.
Once the asphalt was prepared, Polyroof Cut-to-Falls insulation was then bonded to it using the Polyroof Twin Pack Insulation Adhesive, completing the first part of the installation. The insulation was first primed using Polyroof SA Primer and then a self-adhesive Polyroof SA Carrier Layer was applied over the insulation. Once completed, the Protec System is now ready to apply, starting the final stage of the application, however first High quality Polyroof trims were fixed to the perimeter timber support battens including face fixings. Areas including the parapet walls required a Uni-Primer DP before application. Once cured, the second coat was added over the top to complete the installation. A raised edge area of the building did not include the full system with insulation and was alternatively fully encapsulated using the Polyroof Protec System.
Polyroof’s Protec System takes only 30 – 60 minutes to cure, due its RapidCure technology. A raised edge area of the building did not include the full system with insulation and was alternatively fully encapsulated using the Polyroof Protec System.
With the project area being a school, it was important that the general day-to-day activities of the school were not affected. The contractor took every available precaution to limit the amount of disruption caused, keeping main entrances and walkway’s clear. Another added benefit that Protec holds an advantage of is that it is a cold applied system, which meant that work could be carried out during term time without any disruption.
Completion & Inspection
The project was efficiently managed by both the contractor and regular Polyroof Technical Services visits to ensure that each aspect of the project from start to finish was carried out within the customer’s specification, time-frame and budget. The project was a great success, showcasing high-quality work from Thomas Cassie & Sons. Soon after completion, the Polyroof Technical Team inspected the roof in accordance with Polyroof guidelines and awarded the client the trusted Polyroof Accredited System Guarantee. The client can now be confident that this new Polyroof Protec membrane will last for many decades to come.
