Alumasc provided a comprehensive package of high performance roofing products to the Downe Hospital in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland.

Designed by the URS / Scott Wilson Group, Downe Hospital is a £64million state-of-the-art healthcare facility, delivered by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust to provide a wide range of healing services to the local community.

Hydrotech MM6125 Structural Waterproofing and Derbigum Single Layer membrane were specified by the designers who had a good relationship with Alumasc’s Technical Team, following the successful use of their roofing products on a number of previous projects in Northern Ireland. The package provided a complete waterproofing solution supported by Alumasc’s unrivalled technical expertise and warranties.

13,000m² of Hydrotech MM6125 was installed by approved contractor Grainger Building Services, across various areas of the roof requiring a structural waterproofing solution. Lightweight, tough and flexible, BBA Accredited Hydrotech is ideal for protected roofs, plaza decks, green roofs, water features and access roadways. The system offers a unique formulation combined with reinforcement to guarantee lifetime performance.

9000m² of Derbigum Mineral in a light grey finish was installed on the flat roof areas. Derbigum is BBA Accredited and manufactured under ISO9000 & 14001 Quality and Environmental Management Standards. The system is available in a choice of finishes and colours including the fine mineral chippings specified for the hospital. Its many benefits include flexibility, excellent fire ratings, stronger reinforcement and suitability for all methods of application.

2000m of Alumasc’s Aluminium Skyline Copings have also provided an economical and easily installed finish to the parapets on all the flat roof areas.

For more information on Alumasc’s range of Structural Waterproofing systems, click here

Firestone RubberGard® not only met Caterpillar’s stringent environmental and insurance criteria, but was also installed to a tight time schedule during harsh winter conditions and without any disruption to business.

The Caterpillar facility comprises several buildings housing both warehouse operations and administrative offices over a total of 1.8 million square feet, providing comprehensive logistics services to a wide range of clients and distributes materials worldwide.
38,000m2 of Firestone RubberGard® was installed by Alumasc’s Approved Contractor Modern Roofs of Leicester.

The system specification will help to increase the roof’s insulation performance and improve heat retention whilst its ‘Enviro-ready’ design offers the potential to cope with any subsequent installation of green systems i.e green roofs or photovoltaic systems.

Now complete, the roof is already delivering tangible benefits in terms of an improved working environment inside the building.

Firestone RubberGard® EPDM membranes offer a unique combination of features and benefits which have been demonstrated on countless commercial, industrial and residential rooftops around the world. They comprise a fully cured membrane composed of EPDM polymer and carbon black offering unmatched resistance to ozone and UV radiation. As the membrane is inert and does not contain any plasticizers, its characteristics remain stable and unchanged over time thus providing a sustainable roofing solution offering Caterpillar the additional benefits of low life-cycle costs and minimal maintenance requirements.

To find out more about Alumasc’s Firestone products, click here.

Hydrotech MM6125 Structural Waterproofing from Alumasc has been used on the Titanic Belfast Building - the world’s largest Titanic visitor attraction.

Specified in favour of four competing systems, Hydrotech offered an innovative and practical waterproofing solution for the intricately shaped podium roof on Titanic Belfast, created by Civic Arts/Eric R. Kuhne & Associates and Todd Architects. The distinctive design of the building and surrounding podium roof, situated above an underground car park, presented a number of challenges to Alumasc and their Approved Installer Grainger Roofing which demanded a unique configuration of waterproofing system and expansion joint.

At specification stage, Alumasc demonstrated to the construction and design team how the waterproofing and expansion joint would work together to accommodate the changes of direction and elevation presented by the podium expansion gap.

Hydrotech is the ideal solution for podiums and highly detailed waterproofing schemes such as Titanic Belfast. The high performance bituminous rubber blend allows fast and simple installation at low temperatures, even over complex roof details. The robust system enables details such as up stands to be completed first allowing other trades to proceed. Highly site trafficked areas can be left until last to avoid the need for protection or the possibility of damage.

Opening in March 2012, the 14,000m2 Titanic Belfast building tells the story of RMS Titanic, and houses Northern Ireland’s largest dedicated banqueting facility. The project, built by Harcourt Construction (NI) Ltd, is jointly funded by the Northern Ireland Executive, Belfast City Council, Belfast Harbour and Titanic Quarter Ltd.

For further details on Hydrotech MM6125 please click here.

Designed by architects Lovell Ozanne and Partners, the Hougue a La Perre housing development is situated on the northern outskirts of St Peter Port and is managed by Guernsey Housing Association. The project entails the development of 77 houses and flats constructed in 2009 on the site of the former Grand Bouet bus depot in order to create a sustainable and attractive neighbourhood.

The ZinCo green roof from Alumasc was specified for the podium deck above an underground car-park, which forms a courtyard for use by the residents. The green roof will offer notable ecological and amenity benefits, providing a natural habitat for plants and wildlife, whilst also helping to reduce air and noise pollution, cutting carbon emissions and assisting with rainwater retention and attenuation.

To find out more about Alumasc’s Green Roof systems, click here.

The Impermax system is a 100% cold-applied, single component liquid waterproofing membrane which forms an elastomeric, seamless membrane to waterproof virtually any substrate on both flat and pitched roofs.

With a variety of installation options and surface finishes available, the BBA approved Impermax system is equally suited to roof refurbishments or new-build construction of roofs and podiums, and carries a life expectancy in excess of 25 years. A range of warranties are also available.

Alumasc Waterproofing systems are installed by a national network of Approved Contractors and are fully supported by our unrivalled technical team.

For more information on Euroroof Impermax from Alumasc, click here

To download the Impermax Product Overview document, click here

For more information on the full range of Alumasc Waterproofing systems, click here

Starting in October 2011, the course combines classroom and workshop sessions with instruction on site. Successful candidates will obtain an NVQ Level 2 qualification.

For further information on the course and the range of grants available, please e-mail Terry Wain at info@lrwa.org.uk or go online here.

Designed by Richard Murphy Architects, the new Park Inn and adjoining iQ office complex is a £75million mixed-use development, situated on the south side of Justice Mill Lane.  The complex has received both the “Best Commercial Building Award” and the “Commendation for a Hotel Leisure Building” from the Aberdeen Association of Architects.

Alumasc’s approved installer BriggsAmasco installed a total of 5000m² of Hydrotech MM6125 which was specified by Richard Murphy Architects for the building’s impressive multi-level terraced roof.  On the iQ building, Hydrotech was installed to protect the exposed areas between the glazing units on the stunning 4 storey panoramic atrium.

For more information on Hydrotech, click here

Alumasc’s Green Roof system was specified to ensure that the lodges blended with the fairway and outreaching landscape.  A Biodiverse system was specified for Lodges 1-3, using a combination of turf and planting to blend in with the green at the 18th hole of the golf course. The existing fairway was continued up the side of the new building and formed part of the grass roof. The Biodiverse planting scheme was chosen carefully to suit the area and attract local species of insects. 

Lodges 4-7 are camouflaged by a grass bank but required a green roofing solution due to their visibility from the club house.  Alumasc’s low-growing ZinCo Extensive Green Roof system was used, comprising self-sustaining sedum plants which are wind, frost and drought resistant. These plants will eventually establish themselves to form a natural habitat for existing wildlife species in the area. 

To find out more about Alumasc’s Green Roof systems, visit the website

The Arboretum, near Moreton in the Marsh, Gloucestershire, is home to the largest private collection of trees and plants in the country. The new visitor centre is part of a £2m project coordinated by main contractor BEAM Construction (Cheltenham) Ltd and funded by the Batsford Foundation. The scheme incorporates a number of environmental features including a ground source heat pump, sheep’s wool insulation and a low-profile roof which will reduce volume and minimise energy consumption

Following careful consideration of the surrounding landscape, John Falconer Architects presented a unique and challenging ‘wave’ roof design to emulate the rolling Cotswold Hills, thus minimising the visual impact of the Centre. Firestone RubberGard® EPDM waterproofing was chosen for the project due to its eco-credentials, ability to form clean edge detail and its life expectancy of up to 50 years.

RubberGard® EPDM is a fully cured single ply membrane composed of EPDM polymer and carbon black, offering unrivalled resistance to ozone and UV radiation. Membrane characteristics remain stable over time thus providing a sustainable roofing solution which perfectly suited the Arboretum project. RubberGard® does not contain any plasticizers or flame retardants and as no toxic substances are released this allows collection and use of run-off rainwater.

RubberGard® EPDM is available in panel sizes up to 15m in width and 61m in length, giving the benefit of fewer field seams and a shorter installation time. It is inherently durable, remaining flexible at temperatures down to -45ºC, is competitively priced and delivers low life-cycle costs due to minimal maintenance requirements.

Alumasc worked closely alongside Firestone Authorised Contractor Cardiff Single Ply Roofing for the duration of the project, providing full technical support on all of the roof details.

For more information on Alumasc’s Firestone products, click here

Boss House is an upmarket warehouse conversion situated in the Shad Thames District of London. The existing 14-year-old roof urgently needed a complete upgrade, requiring Alumasc to work closely with Lamberts Chartered Surveyors to provide an innovative solution which would avoid the displacement of residents for the duration of the works. Whilst conventional approaches such as temporary roofing would have been prohibitively expensive and highly inconvenient for residents, Alumasc rose to the challenge, providing a competitively priced solution enabling everyone to remain in the building throughout.

The proposal involved attaching a new plywood base to the existing standing seam roof using timber packers fixed into the metal structural purlins. Working with the installer Tower Asphalt Ltd, Alumasc carried out tests on the roof to ascertain the correct fixings and to confirm that it would be possible to carry out work with residents still inside the premises. Tower Asphalt installed 1600m² of 4mm Derbigum Mineral Charcoal, and throughout the project Alumasc liaised closely with the building surveyor, to ensure a smooth operation resulting in work being completed ahead of schedule.

Designed for situations requiring high performance and time efficiency, Derbigum Waterproofing was the ideal solution for Boss House, applying the proven durability of Derbigum with speed and ease of installation. Options are available for completely flame-free, high speed spray installation (in excess of 1000sq.m per day) which is BBA approved and fully warranted. The system is suitable for use on warm roofs with metal, concrete or plywood decks, both for re-roofing or new build applications.

For more information on Derbigum, click here

To download the Derbigum Brochure, click here