Workshop

The parish of Glengormley in Belfast has seen its fair share of the Troubles in recent years. This brand new church replaces an earlier structure that was only 13 years old when it was destroyed in an arson attack in 2001. The only conditions the client stipulated for its replacement were that the church walls should be built from stone and the roof from slate. The designer, Dempsey Architects, otherwise had a free hand, and it turned to Irish history for ideas. The unusual shape that is chose was inspired by an ancient type of Irish hill fort used as a place to retreat to in times of danger – hence the embracing wall at the side that protects the church.

The circular, offset roof proved a challenge for the contractor, as it is the first time slate has been used to cover a roof of this shape in the UK. Six different sizes of rhomboid-shaped tiles were needed to achieve the correct lap around the building's circumference. The rest of the roof structure is fairly conventional, although much harder to construct due to the shape. The tiles are supported on battens, under which a breather membrane has been fitted. This is supported in turn by counterbattens and rafters. Insulation boards are fitted under the rafters with the whole roof structure supported by steel.

Inside, the roof is clad with oak planking. The horseshoe-shaped clerestory glazing encircling the roof provides most of the light for the interior and the angled cupola at the peak of the roof directs light over the sanctuary to provide an appropriate focus within the church for the congregation.

Project team
Client Very Reverend Father Daniel Whyte
Architect Dempsey Architects
Structural engineer Albert Fry Associates
M&E Delap & Waller Consulting Engineers
QS Naylor & Devlin
Contractor O'Hanlon Brothers Construction
Roofing contractor A&M Doris

Flat roof single-ply membrane
Sarnafil
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 301

Tiles
Eternit
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 302

Breather membrane
DuPont Tyvek
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 303

Clerestory windows
Schüco
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 304

Insulation board
Dow has introduced a roof insulation system called Roofmate that is made from its Styrofoam extruded polystyrene insulating board. There are two variants: the RL-X system, which is an interlocking tongue-and-groove board for laying over rafters, and RL-BE-X, a square-edged board for fitting between rafters. Dow says the board has low water absorption and high compressive strength. The RL-X boards measure 2500 mm long, 600 mm wide and 60 mm thick. The RL-BE-X is 2500 mm long, 550 mm wide and 90 mm thick. The products comply with Part L of the Building Regulations.
Dow
www.styrofoameurope.com
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 305

Metal roofing profiles
Eternit Building Materials has moved into the metal roofing and cladding market with the formation of a metal profiles division. The division is kicking off with the launch of three profiles suitable for roofs, walls and lining. The sheets have a cover width of 1 m and the outer profiles are available in thicknesses of 0.5 and 0.7 mm. A range of flashings and fixings is also available. The sheets are galvanized to protect them from corrosion and are available in 27 colours in a plastisol finish or as a polyester coating in a more limited colour range. The company has also added a natural slate to its Navia range. Navia 23 is a traditional grey colour and is aimed at the market in the North-east. It is between 5 and 6 mm thick and measures 400 × 250 mm or 500 × 250 mm.
Eternit Building Materials
www.eternit.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 306

Asphalt sealant
Coverall has made its water-based, cold-applied asphalt sealer available in seven-litre pails in addition to the existing 15-litre size. The product is intended for sealing paths, drives and flat, felt and corrugated iron roofs. The company says it can be applied by unskilled labour and has a coverage rate of 6-7 m² from the new pail. It is available in grey, black, red or green.
Coverall
www.mm-coverall.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 307

Play School-shaped rooflights
A range of polycarbonate rooflights called Ventalux has been launched by rooflight maker McKenzie Martin. Rectangular, square and round versions are available and are all mounted on white PVCu upstands. The domes are available in clear, opal and coloured finishes in single, double or triple-skin variants and in a range of sizes. Options include insect screens and integral sunshade blinds supplied preassembled. Security rooflights are also available.
McKenzie Martin
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 308

Aluminium roofing gets Brum deal
Metal cladding systems maker Ash & Lacy has supplied 500 m² of its Ashzip 400 aluminium standing-seam roofing for a social housing project in Birmingham. The company also provided the components to create the whole roof package including its Ashfab flashing system, Ashfix fasteners and Ashzip halters to fix the roofing sheet to the purlins. The roof is a monopitch design and covers a three-storey block on the Benmore Estate. The work was carried out for the Optima Community Association.
Ash & Lacy Building Systems
www.ashandlacy.com
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 309

Primary school sees the light
Rooflight maker Brett Martin Daylight Systems panel glazing system was used to replace single-skin Georgian wired glass lights at Linton Mead Primary School in Thamesmead, London. The product used was the Xlok Express, which uses 16 mm thick structural polycarbonate with a U-value of 2.0 W/m²K, fitted into a white powder-coated aluminium frame. It was installed over the mansard roof areas of the main hall, staff room, classrooms, kitchens and corridors. The company's Mardome Premier rooflights were installed on the flat roof over the toilets.
Brett Martin Daylight Systems
www.brettmartin.com
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 310

Flyweight roofing felt
Geotextile specialist Terram has launched what it describes as a new type of roofing felt, called Roofstat 110. The company says it weighs 110 g/m², the same as medium-weight paper and one-third of the weight of normal roofing felt. It is made from polypropylene and polyethylene and is supplied in 1.5 m wide rolls. Terram says the product is rotproof, has full BRE certification, and has a good resistance to nail-tear and fire, and good tensile strength.
Terram
www.melfab.com
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 311

Roofing fasteners in many colours
Fastener specialist SFS Intec has brought out its irius-type fastener in colours to match the Corus Celestia range of metallic colours used on its metal roofing and cladding products. The irius fastener has a special type of head designed to be less obtrusive than other fasteners and is intended for quick and easy installation. The fasteners are made from austenitic stainless steel.
SFS Intec
www.sfsintec.biz
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 312

Invisible fixing system
Single-ply roofing maker FDT has developed a fixing system that eliminates visible screw fixings from beneath the roof deck. It is intended for clients who want to dispense with a suspended ceiling system. The system works by attaching the company's Rhepanol FK membrane to Velcro strips, or glueing its Rhenofol CV membrane to PVCu strips. The strips are fixed to the top of the roof deck at 850 mm centres. The system uses a specially designed profiled roof deck.
FDT
www.fdt.uk.com
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 313