Portslade Academy, Brighton – IKO Ultra Prevent
Project description
Portslade Aldridge Community Academy is based in the heart of Portslade, Brighton. The secondary school and Sixth Form specialises in Sports, Science, Media and Entrepreneurship. There has been significant development of the site over recent years and includes a new community library and a Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Centre.
A survey was completed to determine the condition of the roofs over the whole school in 2014. The survey, conducted by IKO PLC, found that 60% of the buildings were not insulated, and the insulated 40% were in poor condition.
RIDGE Consultancy assisted the school with the funding bid to replace the roof, which was then secured by the schools lead sponsor, The Aldridge Foundation. RIDGE, working with IKO tendered the project to a list of IKO approved contractors. Clarke Roofing won the tender and came on board as the installing contractor.
There were 24 roofs altogether of various sizes and shapes, ageing from the 50s to the 90s. All of the roofs across the many different buildings were in poor condition and had issues with ongoing water penetration and patch repair. Each roof area offered a different challenge.
The work took place whilst the pupils were still at school, so a safe working environment was a must. Intrusive tasks were completed during the summer holidays when the school was not in use, and the phasing was done correctly so as not to disturb the pupils during term time.
Due to the nature of the site, a hybrid system was preferred by the client in order to reduce the use of hot works and for its excellent waterproofing performance. This is why IKO’s Ultra Prevent Guardian (Hybrid) built-up system was chosen for the project.
The system provides proven products combined with speed of application and safe installation practices on site. Tapered insulation was also used on a number of roof areas to improve the removal of ponding water. The funding was dependent on the benefits of the new system.
The roof was first stripped down to the decking where, on inspection, most had to be replaced. The deck was then primed before applying an IKO SA Vapour Control Layer followed by a tapered insulation scheme which was bonded using IKOpro PU Adhesive.
This is a high-foaming solvent-free adhesive specifically developed to securely bond a wide range of insulation boards in minimum time.
An IKO SA underlay was followed by an Ultra Prevent cap sheet, which incorporates graphite technology to achieve the highest fire performance standards.
Specifier and contractor benefits
Clarke Roofing, the installing contractor, chose IKO’s built-up system due to its good quality and value for money.
“The poor condition of the roofs made the project for the Academy an important one.” explains Phil Clarke, Manager of the Flat Roofing Department at Clarke Roofing.
“The relationships between ourselves, IKO PLC, RIDGE Consultancy and the school were all very good,” continues Phil. “the project went very smoothly. The finished product looks very uniform and a lot smarter now, and the IKO insulation gives the roof a U-value of 0.18W/mK so the school should be able to save on its energy bills.”
RIDGE Consultancy have also been happy with how well the project went and the relationships between the companies. “Working with IKO PLC and Clarke Roofing created a good team, and we all had a good relationship with each other.
The project went well and was successful. The school now have a roof that they can rely on, and it was completed without disturbing the school and the pupils. Overall there was a good team approach.” Lara Dennison, RIDGE Consultancy.
A roof to rely on
The work put in by RIDGE Consultancy, Clarke Roofing and IKO PLC helped obtain the funding bid and install within budget, and the roof was successfully completed without disruption to staff and pupils.
The result was a high grade waterproofing solution with an insurance backed 25-year single point guarantee and a 0.18W/mK U-Value, minimising the school’s energy bills.
