Heath Town, Wolverhampton – IKO Permaphalt
Project description
The multi-million-pound regeneration of Heath Town, which aims to revamp one of the most rundown estates in Wolverhampton, is moving to the next stage, with existing properties receiving a £35m face-lift.
With a few selected blocks ear marked for demolition to allow space for new buildings, the remaining blocks will undergo to an extensive remodelling and updating including new front doors and façade, new UPVC windows, new coverings to the walkways, balustrades and ceilings along the walkways.
In addition, all fire safety measures have already been upgraded including the creation of a fire-proof zone along the walkways.
Heath Town boasts over the 1,000 dwellings and is home to thousands. With such large numbers, it wasn’t feasible to temporary rehouse the residents, so all the works were undertaken whilst the remain in situ.
Health and safety of the occupiers have been the key factor in the installation process. Flexibility was needed to carry on with the works whilst ensuring minimal disruption to the residents. Small details such as outlet chutes had to be finalised at a later date following other trades completing areas which dovetailed in with the waterproofing.
The solution
With the original asphalt covering believed to date back to the 1960s, the client wanted to ensure that the replacement walkways would perform in a similar manner.
Whilst there are more systems on the market today, only IKO’s Mastic Asphalt offered the client the flexibility in installation coupled with the market leading life expectancy and impressive proven track record.
The original build up included approx. 26mm of fibre board with a mastic asphalt covering. Whilst it would have been easier to remove the insulation from the upper side of the construction, the client identified this element as a ‘must have’.
Mastic asphalt in combination with IKO enertherm Insulation Boards were used. This build-up provided the thermal performance and longevity that the client was looking for without using complicated models.
