Dennis Eagle
Blackpool
The Client
Our client, Dennis Eagle, is part of the Terberg Rosroca Group and is a world leader in the design and manufacture of refuse collection vehicles. They produce over 1000 vehicles in the United Kingdom per year, supplying to the UK market and also for export oversees.
The Project
The 5500 m2 site, located in Blackpool, is used to complete the construction process and spray paint finish of vehicles. The property was in excess of 60 years old, and our client was the long-term leaseholder. The previous roof construction was of a steel portal frame, industrial-grade plasterboard liner, minimal fibre quilt insulation and Asbestos Cement outer cladding, incorporating approximately 10% GRP roof lights.
Roof drainage was from two inbound eaves gutters which discharged to underground drainage, therefore the property was experiencing many blocked outlets. Critically, during heavy rainfall, the rain would overcome the gutters and cascade into the factory. As well as the factory roof in poor condition and leaking, roof lights were an issue, adding very little natural daylight into the building, meaning internal lighting was on at all times. The building was internally congested with equipment, staff and roof-mounted air-lines, along with electrical conduit and paint supply lines, adding significant safety concerns.
After consultations, along with our Technical Surveying and Reports, we presented an Overclad system to the client. It was evident that our advice would provide a more sustainable approach for the future. Although the client was initially looking at a coating solution, they could clearly see the advantages of our Overclad system, highlighted below:
- Cost neutral against the coating solution.
- Increased warranty from 10 years to 25 years.
- Facility to increase the gutter sizes to accommodate the issues, with blocked downpipes and undersized gutters.
- The roof would become non-fragile, aiding future maintenance.
- Additional insulation was incorporated into the build-up, bringing the construction up to current building regulations.
- All roof lights were replaced with non-fragile, class 1 fire-rated roof lights, increasing natural daylight into the building and reducing electricity bills.
- The overclad option allowed us to use sacrificial safety netting, rather than having to install safety nets internally, which on this site would have been very difficult and disruptive to our client.
- Technical surveying and diagnostic support
- Project design and planning
- Cost neutral against the initial coating solution
- Our solution increased warranty from 10 years to 25 years
- No disruption on the client's operations during the project
- On completion, we provided a full suite of as-built drawings.
£350,000
Value
10 Weeks
Duration
May 2017
Completion
Challenges and Solutions
We undertook detailed internal, external and drone surveys. The drone was essential in allowing us to get detailed photographs of this fragile roof construction. Although initial thoughts were for a coating solution, our detailed diagnostic survey report provided the client with informed advantages and disadvantages of various systems and costs. From the report, we recommended that an overcladding solution would be more effective than a coating solution. Recognising the sustainable value of our recommendation, the client chose to progress with our overclad option.
In the process of initial roof repairs, we also supported the replacement of damaged plasterboard liners, decorated the front office elevation and installed new wall cladding. Before commencement on-site, we completed a structural survey and calculations, ensuring the building structure was capable of supporting an overclad. We also completed gutter calculations to allow us to design a suitable gutter solution.
Outcome
Our solutions and strategies meant there was no disruption or impact on the client’s operations during our programme of works. The project was delivered safely, with Starfish Construction adhering with strict guidance on working with Asbestos Cement. We followed the guidelines contained within HSE documents A9 (Drilling Holes in Asbestos Cement) and A11(Removing Asbestos Cement Debris). Following completion, we provided a full suite of as-built drawings, which were completed by our in-house CAD department. With a sustainable, cost-effective series of solutions for the client, all works were finished on time, budget, and to the client’s satisfaction, delivering a very successful project outcome.
