A range of roofing products, from location-sensitive slate to green conservatory glass, means you can top off your scheme in style
Lightweight tiles
Marley Roofing Products' lightweight Malvern interlocking tile, in old English dark red, has been specified for a social housing refurbishment in Briston, Norfolk. It was chosen because the homes are of timber frame construction and consideration had to be paid to the weight of the roof. The tiles were also chosen to blend with those on surrounding housing. The Malvern has a sturdy symmetrical profile with a thinner leading edge and is available in light grey, light brown and terracotta shades, as well as dark red.

Marley Roofing Products
www.marleyroofing.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 601

Waterproofing membrane
Refurbishment contractor Caprotech Systems used Decothane Omega 15 waterproofing membrane to fix a leaking roof at a Sheffield housing block. The membrane was laid directly onto the failed roofing substrate of the block, causing minimum disruption to tenants. Decothane Omega 15 is a polyurethane-based, moisture-triggered roof system made by Liquid Plastics.

Caprotech Systems
www.agd63.dial.pipex.com
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 602

Tiles for sensitive areas
David Wilson Homes Southern is using Forticrete Roofing Products' roof tiles in house designs in a sensitive Oxfordshire green-belt location. Council planners wanted the homes on the site at Carterton to have natural-looking roofs that would match the vernacular. Forticrete's Hardrow slates, in barley colour, were chosen for most of the first phase of development for their resemblance to natural stone slate. Hardrow Duets in the standard 18 × 12 inch size were used in phase one. The second phase uses barley-coloured Duets, fixed in regular bond at pitches of 40°.

Forticrete Roofing Products
www.forticrete.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 603

Roof slates to meet the grade
Burlington Slate's blue/grey slate is being used to restore the roof of Soutergate House, a grade II-listed Georgian property in Ulverston. The slates will be replacing ones that came from the nearby quarries of Cumbria-based Burlington Slate in the 18th century. The existing timber structure of the 30° pitch roof is being retained, but counter battens have been fixed to the rafters to increase its strength.

Burlington Slate
www.burlingtonstone.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 604

Foamglas for refurb project
Foamglas cellular glass insulation from Pittsburgh Corning is providing weatherproofing to high- and low-rise blocks on the Silchester Estate in London's Kensington. The estate, which is owned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, was built in the 1960s and required a complete refurbishment of its roofs. The Foamglas tapered roof system was specified by architect MEPK. The old roof was stripped back to its concrete deck and the insulation adhered to it using hot bitumen. A two-layer waterproof membrane was then bonded to the Foamglas surface to create the external layer.

Pittsburgh Corning
www.foamglas-building.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 605

Roofing partnership
Plastics supplier Omnico has entered a partnership with conservatory roof company Ultraframe. Under the partnership, Omnico is stocking Ultraframe's Ultralite 500 conservatory roofing kit, called a "Roof-in-a-box", which uses glazed PVCu panels "zipped" together by aluminium beams. The company has also opened a fabrications department

to design and manufacture Ultraframe conservatory roofs.

Omnico
www.omnico.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 606

Interlocking Roof tiles
Ogden Industries has introduced a tile to complement its Olway double-lap slate. The new Olway single-lap resin roof tile has a simple interlocking system, which makes it more cost effective to install. All Olway products are made from crushed natural virgin slate bonded with a polyester resin. The tiles are intended to replicate the appearance of natural slate and are available in colours similar to those traditionally quarried in the UK, including new Welsh grey, Westminster green and old Welsh blue.

Ogden Industries
www.ogden-industries.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 607

Cast-iron rainwater system
An Apex Heritage cast-iron rainwater system from Alumasc has been chosen to replace the original cast-iron system on a grade II-listed hospital in Abergavenny. Parc Pen-y-Fal is being refurbished and turned into apartments by Redrow Homes. As part of the project, Apex-moulded cast-iron gutters and downpipes are being installed by Roweaver Developments. Alumasc says it can supply all commonly used traditional profiles, fittings and accessories from stock, with both round and square downpipe systems available.

Alumasc Exterior Building Products
www.alumasc-exteriors.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 608

Traditional-style slates
Norwich developer Key and Hibbert has specified Cabrera Natural Slates from the Eternit natural slate range for a traditional-style housing scheme on the Oulton Broad in Norfolk. Sourced in northern Spain, the Cabrera Natural Slate is mid-grey in colour and has a rough texture. The product comes with a 30-year guarantee.

Eternit Slates
www.eternit.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 612

Pre-fabricated chimneys
Euroform Products has launched a prefabricated chimney range, which is available in kit form. The chimney comes in three basic types: pitch, ridge and gable, and can be matched to any brick or stone finish. In addition to the standard range, Euroform says it can supply chimneys to clients' required sizes and specifications.

Euroform Products
www.euroform.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 613

Flat roofing system
More than 25 garage roofs on two residential estates in Watford have been refurbished using the Profile Plus roofing system from flat roof maker Callenders. The original asbestos roofs had weathered and had recurring condensation problems, because they were cold roofs. Contractor Ellis Roofing specified Profile Plus because it could be laid quickly and safely over the existing roof. The built-up flat roofing system comprises profiled insulation board, which is mechanically fixed into position, topped by an underlay and a torch-on capsheet.

Callenders
www.callenders.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 614

Glazing for conservatories

Conservatory specialist Ultraframe has launched the Conservaglass system, which it says combines a high thermal performance and low solar gain with an easy-clean finish. The double-glazed roofing units have a slight tint to reduce glare. The units are offered as part of a selection of modules in which glass and roof come in single packages and three styles: Victorian, Georgian and lean-to.

Ultraframe
www.ultraframe.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 600

What's the spec

Port Marine, Portishead, Bristol
When a housing development is very, very big, there needs to be plenty of variety in the design if it is to avoid becoming a sprawling estate. The 900-unit Port Marine development in Bristol shows just how much architectural variety it is possible to incorporate into a new homes scheme – it has got everything from imposing Regency-style villas, lodges and townhouses to a Cornish-style mock fishing village. Crest Nicholson Residential’s second phase of development goes for something a bit different by taking up an arts-and-crafts theme. The four-storey townhouses and an imposing terrace that make up Pier Row and Pier Place have distinctive rooflines, with Dutch gables, topped by Eternit clay plain tiles. The maker’s double-cambered Acme tiles were specified in a dark brindle colour. “The vast expanse of roof is highly visible from the fronting highway and the lower slopes of Port Marine, which meant that the choice of roof material was very important to the project team,” says Darren Dancey, senior technical manager with Crest Nicholson Residential South-west. Project team
Developer
Crest Nicholson Residential
Architect
BBA (with detail design by Charter Partnership)

Trends

Roofs are designed to keep the weather out, but there is one element that we want to pour into our homes: sunshine. This year’s summer might be rainy, but photovoltaics have still become the height of fashion. Roofing manufacturers and housebuilders are responding to the government’s push for renewable energy. Marley Roofing Products has developed a photovoltaic tile system called Powertile, which will be on the market next year. Redland Roofing Systems is marketing its PV700 system, with installer SunDog Energy this month. It has completed its latest application on nine new homes at CDS Housing Association’s Pinehurst Estate in Merseyside. But what impact will solar power have? Tenants on the Pinehurst Estate are expected to see a 40% reduction in their electricity bills. Housebuilders Bryant Homes and Persimmon are fitting two systems to homes at Newcastle Great Park in Tyne and Wear and will monitor their performance. BP Solar PV roof tiles are being fitted to 10 homes and PV roof-mounted panels are going onto two more under the Northern Energy Initiative-backed scheme. The housebuilders estimate that the installations could generate up to 25% of the homes’ electricity, even if the sun does prove rather shy this summer. Bp solar www.bpsolar.com
Marley roofing products www.marleyroofing.co.uk
Redland roofing systems www.redland.co.uk