Wythenshawe Hospital - IKO ULTRA Prevent 25 system
Project Overview
Wythenshawe Hospital, a major acute teaching hospital in South Manchester, is part of the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust. It is a founding member of the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, a teaching hospital of Manchester Medical School, and a recognised centre of clinical and research excellence.
Wythenshawe Hospital required comprehensive healthcare roofing refurbishment across 13,000m² covering the OPD clinic and Maternity Wing areas. IKO worked with Building Surveyors Property Tectonics to deliver a robust flat roofing for healthcare buildings solution that addressed critical waterproofing failures while maintaining operational continuity.
Challenges
The original asphalt roofing had failed through poor maintenance and UV exposure, causing brittleness, splits, and water ingress at critical perimeter details. Previous liquid coating repairs had not provided lasting solutions, with solar reflective paint requiring costly reapplication every 3-5 years.
Complex refurbishment works included modifying Georgian wired and polycarbonate rooflights, raising beehive vent housings, and achieving new thermal performance standards. The live Wythenshawe Hospital environment demanded precision scheduling around critical healthcare roofing operations, with most work completed out-of-hours to protect patient care in the active Maternity Wing.
Solution
IKO undertook a detailed visual and physical survey of the roof, including a Roofscan Infra-red Survey. Following systematic thermal imaging, certain areas were stripped back and made good so approved contractors could install the high-performance waterproofing.
IKO recommended its IKO ULTRA Prevent 25 overlay system with a cold applied liquid system and tapered IKO enertherm insulation as appropriate for the Wythenshawe Hospital roof repair, with the work improving the U-value to 0.18 W/m²K. In addition, two polycarbonate rooflights were replaced and the Georgian wired rooflights were removed and boarded over.
In the hospital environment, fire safety is a major issue. The Graphite Firewall Technology incorporated in IKO ULTRA Prevent is a fire retardant which slows penetration of external fires and forms a heat shield. Internally, it slows the spread of smoke and stops melted bitumen from dripping into the building – all important features in a hospital.
Solution Continued
The complex beehive vent refurbishment involved dismantling the structure, raising the upstand to accommodate tapered insulation, then rebuilding the sides and constructing a new roof. The IKO system was installed onto this structure, with a maintenance-free finish applied over the existing louvres. The hospital roof repair was delivered as planned, with minimal disruption to ongoing operations.
The project was completed on time and within budget, providing the hospital with a BBA-approved flat roofing for healthcare buildings system backed by a 20-year single-point guarantee, in line with the original specification.
Project name and location:
Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester
Main IKO system:
13,000m² IKO ULTRA Prevent 25 waterproofing system
Project sector:
Healthcare
Contractors:
Products: