In addition to providing an effective insulation solution which satisfied Building Regulation requirements and ensured effective run-off of rainwater, Gradient was also able to significantly reduce the amount of on-site installation time required.
Having successfully completed Phase 1 of work on the College, Gradient was invited by Derbyshire County Council to design and manufacture a suitable solution for the remaining聽 3,3112 metres of the roof. 鈥淭here were basically four different types of roof construction on this project,鈥� explains Contracts Manager Ian Harcourt from the roofing sub-contractor appointed, Shire Building Services. 鈥淭o suit their different requirements Gradient proposed combinations of tapered PIR and tapered cork-faced PIR roof-board, laminated into a single layer. This was used to improve and redirect existing falls and also create new ones so that the roof provided the required drainage performance.鈥�
The Gradient insulation was supplied to site pre-cut and mitred into bespoke sections, each destined for a specific area of the roof. 鈥淢anufacturing and cutting under our factory-controlled conditions helps us to ensure each section of insulation is accurately sized and creates the correct cut-to-fall,鈥� explains Gradient鈥檚 Steve Adams.聽 鈥淭his then means that much less work is required on-site and so installation times can be reduced significantly when compared to alternative solutions.鈥�
Once work started on the 24-week programme problems were discovered where some areas of the original roof screed had to be replaced. 鈥淭his potentially had an impact on the proposed insulation solution for those areas,鈥� says Council Building Surveyor, Robert Turner. 鈥淗owever Gradient was able to redesign the cut-to-fall of the insulation in these areas and ensure that the finished roof drained as required.鈥� The roof was completed with a waterproof layer of built-up mineral felt.聽