National Grid, Hinkley – IKO Polimar
The issue
The large National Grid commercial office facility in Brick Kiln Street, Hinckley, was to undergo a complete fit out in order to provide enhanced facilities for its employees. The site supports a contact centre and the network operations and strategy functions for the West Midlands, North West, East of England and North London.
As part of the internal upgrades, the ventilation system was to be overhauled, and so plant had to be removed from the roof before installing the waterproofing system. Employees were to be relocated during this period, so adherence to a strict schedule was essential so as not to hold up the return.
As part of the refit, the building required a new roof as it was showing signs of wear and had started to leak. As well as a waterproofing solution, the client wanted to improve the thermal performance in line with current building regulations. For health and safety reasons, the client also requested a flame free roofing solution.
The client was looking for a recognised market leader to support them on this project.
The solution
After consultation with IKO’s technical support team, the client chose the IKO Polimar EC/UV liquid waterproofing solution for this project, a high performance product providing a seamless finish and a 20-year guarantee. The cold applied solution negated the need for torches on site and therefore met health and safety requirements.
The new roof was laid on top of the original concrete substrate by IKO approved contractor Rio Asphalt, then a self-adhesive underlay was applied at the perimeter before installing the insulation board.
A self-bonding IKO Polimar preparation membrane was used to act as a dimensionally stable reinforced base on which to install IKO Polimar EC resin prior to applying the liquid top coat. IKO Polimar UV formed a seamless, durable waterproof barrier as well as ultra-violet stability.
The installation of new plant on the roof presented complex detailing requirements, which the IKO Polimar cold applied liquid roofing system was able to overcome, and IKO Polimar walkways were installed to improve slip resistance. IKO assisted with the U-value calculations and helped with site-specific design details throughout.
The application of the IKO Polimar EC/UV system ensured not only the structural integrity of the roof, but also met and surpassed the minimum Part L Building Regulation requirements by incorporating 140mm IKO Enertherm ALU Insulation into the specification.
The client identified the roof as an area for improvement in its carbon emissions and this was successfully achieved.
