Designing Buildings - User contributions [en]

User:SIG Design and Technology

2014-03-10T17:10:07Z

SIG Design and Technology:

= What we do =

SIG Design & Technology delivers a complete and impartial design and supply service built around its flat roof products (including green roofing systems and bespoke metal solutions) with the aim of enabling the roof to work harder.

We help roofing designers and contractors make their roofs save energy and carbon, generate energy and integrate with other technologies such as solar collection, drainage and heat pumps.

With decades of experience we’re familiar with many of the problems designers and contractors face when looking at getting the most from a roof, and have examples of successful projects you can use to satisfy your clients and insurers.

= Who we are =

[http://www.singleply.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings SIG Design & Technology] is a part of SIG Exteriors, a leading division of [http://www.sigplc.com/UK/Home.htm SIG plc], a FTSE 250 listed company and the UK’s market leading specialist supplier to professionals in the building and construction industry.

= How we work =

In a Six Step Process we:

1. Identify your performance criteria;

2. Recommend the best solution;

3. Provide all necessary detailing;

4. Supply all materials;

5. Support contractors  on site;

6. Issue a guarantee.

Apart from the cost of the materials themselves, ''SIG Design & Technology’s design and support service is completely free of charge.''

== '''Our Products''' ==

Products sourced from leading product manufacturers include:

[http://www.singleply.co.uk/flat-roofs/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Single Ply Roofing Membranes:]

*IKO Armourplan (PVC)

*IKO Spectraplan (TPE)

*Rhenofol (PVC)

*Rhepanol FK & HG (PIB)

[http://www.singleply.co.uk/zinc-copper/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Zinc Roofing]

*NedZink (including the blue-black NedZink NOVA)

[http://www.singleply.co.uk/when-to-use-hot-melt-roofing-system/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Hot Melt]

*IKO permaTEC

[http://www.singleply.co.uk/category/green-roof/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Green Roofing]

*Blackdown Built-Up Green Roofing System

*LiveRoof Lite Hybrid Modular Green Roof

== Our approved installers   ==

SIG D&T has a national accreditation scheme for  roofing contractors called [http://www.singleply.co.uk/roofing-contractors-what-is-datac/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings DATAC] (the Design & Technology Accredited Contractors Scheme) to  benchmark roofing installation standards. Today over 200 member installer companies offer expert roofing knowledge and install roofs from 50-50,000 m2. Each business is committed to high standards of training and corporate management so that you can be assured of a high quality installation.

== Our affiliations   ==

SIG Design & Technology is a corporate member of SPRA and NFRC.

= Get in Touch =

[http://www.linkedin.com/company/sig-design-and-technology Follow us on Linkedin]

[http://twitter.com/SIGDesignTech Talk to us on Twitter]

[http://www.singleply.co.uk/blog?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Visit our Technical Blog]

SIG Design & Technology Mannheim House Gelders Hall Road Shepshed Leicestershire LE12 9NH

Tel 01509 505714

Fax 01509 505475

Email: [mailto:_blog@singleply.co.uk blog@singleply.co.uk]

[http://www.singleply.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings www.singleply.co.uk]

[http://www.sigzincandcopper.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings www.sigzincandcopper.co.uk]

User:SIG Design and Technology

2014-03-10T17:04:04Z

SIG Design and Technology:

= What we do =

SIG Design & Technology delivers a complete and impartial design and supply service built around its flat roof products (including green roofing systems and bespoke metal solutions) with the aim of enabling the roof to work harder.

We help roofing designers and contractors make their roofs save energy and carbon, generate energy and integrate with other technologies such as solar collection, drainage and heat pumps.

With decades of experience we’re familiar with many of the problems designers and contractors face when looking at getting the most from a roof, and have examples of successful projects you can use to satisfy your clients and insurers.

= Who we are =

[http://www.singleply.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings SIG Design & Technology] is a part of SIG Exteriors, a leading division of [http://www.sigplc.com/UK/Home.htm SIG plc], a FTSE 250 listed company and the UK’s market leading specialist supplier to professionals in the building and construction industry.

= How we work =

In a Six Step Process we:

1. Identify your performance criteria;

2. Recommend the best solution;

3. Provide all necessary detailing;

4. Supply all materials;

5. Support contractors  on site;

6. Issue a guarantee.

Apart from the cost of the materials themselves, ''SIG Design & Technology’s design and support service is completely free of charge.''

== '''Our Products''' ==

Products sourced from leading product manufacturers include:

[http://www.singleply.co.uk/flatRoofs-systems-overview.asp?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Single Ply Roofing Membranes:]

*IKO Armourplan (PVC)

*IKO Spectraplan (TPE)

*Rhenofol (PVC)

*Rhepanol FK & HG (PIB)

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/your-zinc-roofing-and-cladding-questions-from-ecobuild/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Zinc Roofing]

*NedZink (including new NedZink NOVA)

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/when-to-use-hot-melt-roofing-system/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Hot Melt]

*IKO permaTEC

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/category/green-roof/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Green Roofing]

*Blackdown Built-Up Green Roofing System

*LiveRoof Lite Hybrid Modular Green Roof

== Our approved installers   ==

SIG D&T has a national accreditation scheme for  roofing contractors called [http://www.singleply.co.uk/aboutUs-datac.asp?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings DATAC] (the Design & Technology Accredited Contractors Scheme) to  benchmark roofing installation standards. Today over 200 member installer companies offer expert roofing knowledge and install roofs from 50-50,000 m2. Each business is committed to high standards of training and corporate management so that you can be assured of a high quality installation.

== Our affiliations   ==

SIG Design & Technology is a corporate member of SPRA and NFRC.

= Get in Touch =

[http://www.linkedin.com/company/sig-design-and-technology Follow us on Linkedin]

[http://twitter.com/SIGDesignTech Talk to us on Twitter]

[http://www.singleply.co.uk/blog?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Visit our Technical Blog]

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/SIG_what-we-do_2013.pdf?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Download our interactive ‘What we Do’ PDF]

 

SIG Design & Technology Mannheim House Gelders Hall Road Shepshed Leicestershire LE12 9NH

Tel 01509 505714

Fax 01509 505475

Email: [mailto:_blog@singleply.co.uk blog@singleply.co.uk]

[http://www.singleply.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings www.singleply.co.uk]

[http://www.sigzincandcopper.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings www.sigzincandcopper.co.uk]

Green roofs

2013-05-03T14:36:56Z

SIG Design and Technology:

--[[User%3ASIG%20Design%20and%20Technology|SIG]][[User%3ASIG%20Design%20and%20Technology|Design and Technology]] 15:35, 3 May 2013 (BST) 

= Introduction =

A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. It protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. In most countries a roof protects primarily against rain. However, depending upon the nature of the building, the roof may also protect against heat, sunlight, cold, snow and wind. Other types of structure, for example, a garden conservatory, might use roofing that protects against cold, wind and rain but admits light. A verandah may be roofed with material that protects against sunlight but admits the other elements. The characteristics of a roof are dependent upon the purpose of the building that it covers, the available roofing materials and the local traditions of construction and wider concepts of architectural design and practice and may also be governed by local or national legislation.

In the UK, roofs need to perform thermally. Their position on the top of the building is vital, since hot air rises, and so heat loss through a poorly insulated roof is even more severe than through a poorly insulated wall. Legislation is becoming ever stricter, and the roof has a key part to play in this. The latest version of Part L of the Building Regulations (April 2013) seeks reductions in emissions of CO2 of 25 per cent relative to 2006 – the next step towards making all new domestic buildings zero carbon by 2016, and all non-domestic buildings zero carbon by 2019.

To achieve this building owners need better levels of insulation and higher standards of construction – cutting down on air leakage will become ever more essential to achieving standards as levels of insulation continue to rise. Already air-tightness testing is playing a vital role in the assessment of newly finished buildings. To achieve these objectives requires well designed, well insulated roofs, with reliable systems built by reliable people.

For example, roofing supplier SIG D&T launched an accreditation scheme in 2012 called [http://www.singleply.co.uk/aboutUs-datac.asp?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=article_&utm_campaign=designing_buildings DATAC] (SIG Design & Technology Accredited Contractor scheme), which places heavy demands on installer companies. In order to be accredited, roofing companies must have:
#an exceptional knowledge of roofing systems
#a proven record of installation
#suitable management skills and quality-assurance procedures and
#membership of a relevant trade association, with current insurance cover.

Construction and roof installation is only half the story, with the other half being the quality of the roofing materials or products. In many parts of the world ceramic tiles have been the predominant roofing material for centuries, but roofs have also been constructed from a wide range of materials from slate, wood and straw to laminated glass, copper, aluminium sheeting and precast concrete.

The construction of a roof is determined by its method of support and how the underneath space is bridged and whether or not the roof is pitched. The pitch is the angle at which the roof rises from its lowest to highest point. Most UK domestic architecture has roofs that are sloped, or pitched, for reasons of tradition and aesthetics. So, the pitch is partly dependent upon stylistic factors, and partially to do with practicalities. Some types of roofing, for example thatch, require a steep pitch in order to be waterproof and durable. Other types of roofing, for example pantiles, are unstable on a steeply pitched roof but provide excellent weather protection at a relatively low angle. In regions where there is little rain, an almost flat roof with a slight run-off provides adequate protection against an occasional downpour.

The durability of a roof is a matter of concern because the roof is often the least accessible part of a building for purposes of repair and renewal, while its damage or destruction can have serious effects.

= Roof gardens or green roofs =

One of the important things that roofs can do is provide amenity. With increasing population and increasing numbers of households, the UK has to live and work more densely. This is vital to preserve rural areas, but also to make towns and cities work more effectively, and in a more energy efficient manner. Several studies show that carbon emissions per person rise in cities the less dense they become, because of the greater use of transport and, in particular, the private car.

But increasing density will mean, to a great extent, doing away with private gardens. Where then can people go to relax, to see the sun and to breathe some fresh air? The answer, in part, is on the roof. Dickon Robinson, former development director of the Peabody Trust, has publicly advocated putting all new gardens on the roof.

A roof garden can be a number of things. It can be a place to sit, a place to play, or a place to grow plants. Those plants may be decorative, but they could also be edible. More and more people are eager to grow their own vegetables and herbs.

Rosie Boycott, chair of London Food, was one of a number of pundits asked by the Observer newspaper to predict the nature of the future. She wrote, on 24 January 2013:

‘Rooftops and spare places will be full of vegetables; not obviously, enough to feed the city, but enough to make people more resilient and more aware of where food comes from.’

All these roofs can be classified as green roofs – after all, even the paved roof for sitting is likely to have a few plants in pots. Although green roofs come in many forms, there are two basic types. These are the ‘intensive’ roof, which is carefully planted and tended and can be thought of, in some sense, as a garden. And there is the extensive roof, which is closer to a natural condition and allowed to a great extent to look after itself. Neither is an original idea.

The intensive roof can be seen as going back as far as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which formed one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Nebuchanezzar II built the gardens – essentially a series of intensive roofs - for his wife who was homesick for the plants of her native Persia. Further north, in Scandinavia, farmers created one of the first extensive roofs, by stripping the sod from surrounding grass meadows, and placing it on the roof, supported by heavy timber beams. This provided an early form of roof insulation, in an unfriendly climate. Those extensive Scandinavian roofs were not really accessible, except for maintenance, and the same is true for many extensive roofs today.

But they remain valuable. In terms of visual amenity, looking out of a window onto growing things lifts the spirits and puts the city dweller in touch with the changing seasons. And there are other benefits of green roofs – thermal and noise insulation, for example.

Like those Scandinavian farmers, contemporary designers have come to appreciate that having a planted roof can modulate temperature change. Researchers at Nottingham Trent University studied the fluctuations in temperature beneath the membranes of a traditional roof and a green roof. With the external mean daily temperature varying between 0C and 18.4C, the researchers found that the temperature beneath the membrane of a conventional roof fluctuated between 0.2C and 32C. In contrast, under the green roof the variation was much less – from 4.7C to 17.1C. So the green roof helped to keep the building warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

Research shows that a green roof can significantly reduce the noise coming into a building – the greater the depth of the substrate, the more the sound is reduced.

Green roofs can also play a key role in SUDS (sustainable urban drainage schemes). Typically, a green roof will intercept at least the first 5mm of rain in any shower, reducing run off to sewers etc. With a significant number of green roofs, the existing Victorian systems will be able to cope for longer. This is a benefit not so much to the individual property, as to the city as a whole.

Another city-wide benefit comes from the role that green roofs can play in reducing the urban heat island – the effect that makes cities hotter than the surrounding countryside. The greatest benefit of all comes when a building is entirely enveloped in vegetation – with a green roof and also green walls.

Green roofs can also make a considerable contribution to biodiversity. In this case they can replace habitats that were destroyed when the building took place, or can provide oases for certain birds and invertebrates amidst a sea of building. All planted roofs will offer some benefits, but research shows that the best habitat consists of a mixture of sedums and native wild flowers.

With so many benefits to green roofs, it may be surprising that they have not become more widespread – as they are for instance in Switzerland and Germany. Certainly their use is being encouraged, with major cities including London and Manchester writing policies to encourage their adoption.

But there may be some reluctance, either because they are new and not entirely understood, or because of concerns about durability. In fact, a green roof protects the membrane beneath it, increasing its lifespan, but there is a concern that if a membrane were to fail, dealing with a leak could be an expensive and complex process.

Modern lightweight modular green roof systems include products that are made up of 0.5 m module trays which slot together for a seamless finish and provide plant drainage. These allow the building owner to create either a sedum roof or a bespoke horticultural selection of sedum, indigenous grasses and wildflowers. 

The modules are installed over a geotextile filter fabric, which sits on top of the waterproofing. They interlock and need no fixing, so there is no danger of puncturing the waterproof membrane.

== Green walls ==

Some benefits of green roofs can be extended to walls. Increasingly popular, green walls give enormous visual pleasure, and can help to ‘humanise’ long stretches of wall that may be blank. They can take the eye from the mega-scale of a giant construction down to a much more intimate scale. Research at the University of Texas shows that people who work in offices with plants are significantly happier.

And green walls have other quantifiable benefits. They help to remove dust and pollution from the air, and can make a considerable contribution to reducing the urban heat island effect. Green walls do need irrigation – not a substantial amount as much of the water can be recycled, but the system does need to keep operating.

Although widely used in other countries, particularly in France, green walls are still a relatively new concept in the UK. A green wall at West London’s Westfield shopping centre uses SIG Design & Technology’s modular Living Wall system, for example.

= Solar roofs =

A roof can also contribute to the energy needs of the building, by using photovoltaics to generate electricity. The decision to generate electricity from a roof need not rule out the possibility of also having a green roof, in an adjacent area. Indeed, research shows that the two are complementary, since the cooling effect of the planting helps the photovoltaics to become more effective. That really is the ultimate in making the roof work harder.

[[Category:CIOB_competition]]
[[Category:Project_types]]

Green roofs

2013-05-03T14:35:36Z

SIG Design and Technology:

--[[User:SIG Design and Technology|SIG Design and Technology]] 15:35, 3 May 2013 (BST) 

= Introduction =

A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. It protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. In most countries a roof protects primarily against rain. However, depending upon the nature of the building, the roof may also protect against heat, sunlight, cold, snow and wind. Other types of structure, for example, a garden conservatory, might use roofing that protects against cold, wind and rain but admits light. A verandah may be roofed with material that protects against sunlight but admits the other elements. The characteristics of a roof are dependent upon the purpose of the building that it covers, the available roofing materials and the local traditions of construction and wider concepts of architectural design and practice and may also be governed by local or national legislation.

In the UK, roofs need to perform thermally. Their position on the top of the building is vital, since hot air rises, and so heat loss through a poorly insulated roof is even more severe than through a poorly insulated wall. Legislation is becoming ever stricter, and the roof has a key part to play in this. The latest version of Part L of the Building Regulations (April 2013) seeks reductions in emissions of CO2 of 25 per cent relative to 2006 – the next step towards making all new domestic buildings zero carbon by 2016, and all non-domestic buildings zero carbon by 2019.

To achieve this building owners need better levels of insulation and higher standards of construction – cutting down on air leakage will become ever more essential to achieving standards as levels of insulation continue to rise. Already air-tightness testing is playing a vital role in the assessment of newly finished buildings. To achieve these objectives requires well designed, well insulated roofs, with reliable systems built by reliable people.

For example, roofing supplier SIG D&T launched an accreditation scheme in 2012 called DATAC (SIG Design & Technology Accredited Contractor scheme), which places heavy demands on installer companies. In order to be accredited, roofing companies must have:
#an exceptional knowledge of roofing systems
#a proven record of installation
#suitable management skills and quality-assurance procedures and
#membership of a relevant trade association, with current insurance cover.

Construction and roof installation is only half the story, with the other half being the quality of the roofing materials or products. In many parts of the world ceramic tiles have been the predominant roofing material for centuries, but roofs have also been constructed from a wide range of materials from slate, wood and straw to laminated glass, copper, aluminium sheeting and precast concrete.

The construction of a roof is determined by its method of support and how the underneath space is bridged and whether or not the roof is pitched. The pitch is the angle at which the roof rises from its lowest to highest point. Most UK domestic architecture has roofs that are sloped, or pitched, for reasons of tradition and aesthetics. So, the pitch is partly dependent upon stylistic factors, and partially to do with practicalities. Some types of roofing, for example thatch, require a steep pitch in order to be waterproof and durable. Other types of roofing, for example pantiles, are unstable on a steeply pitched roof but provide excellent weather protection at a relatively low angle. In regions where there is little rain, an almost flat roof with a slight run-off provides adequate protection against an occasional downpour.

The durability of a roof is a matter of concern because the roof is often the least accessible part of a building for purposes of repair and renewal, while its damage or destruction can have serious effects.

= Roof gardens or green roofs =

One of the important things that roofs can do is provide amenity. With increasing population and increasing numbers of households, the UK has to live and work more densely. This is vital to preserve rural areas, but also to make towns and cities work more effectively, and in a more energy efficient manner. Several studies show that carbon emissions per person rise in cities the less dense they become, because of the greater use of transport and, in particular, the private car.

But increasing density will mean, to a great extent, doing away with private gardens. Where then can people go to relax, to see the sun and to breathe some fresh air? The answer, in part, is on the roof. Dickon Robinson, former development director of the Peabody Trust, has publicly advocated putting all new gardens on the roof.

A roof garden can be a number of things. It can be a place to sit, a place to play, or a place to grow plants. Those plants may be decorative, but they could also be edible. More and more people are eager to grow their own vegetables and herbs.

Rosie Boycott, chair of London Food, was one of a number of pundits asked by the Observer newspaper to predict the nature of the future. She wrote, on 24 January 2013:

‘Rooftops and spare places will be full of vegetables; not obviously, enough to feed the city, but enough to make people more resilient and more aware of where food comes from.’

All these roofs can be classified as green roofs – after all, even the paved roof for sitting is likely to have a few plants in pots. Although green roofs come in many forms, there are two basic types. These are the ‘intensive’ roof, which is carefully planted and tended and can be thought of, in some sense, as a garden. And there is the extensive roof, which is closer to a natural condition and allowed to a great extent to look after itself. Neither is an original idea.

The intensive roof can be seen as going back as far as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which formed one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Nebuchanezzar II built the gardens – essentially a series of intensive roofs - for his wife who was homesick for the plants of her native Persia. Further north, in Scandinavia, farmers created one of the first extensive roofs, by stripping the sod from surrounding grass meadows, and placing it on the roof, supported by heavy timber beams. This provided an early form of roof insulation, in an unfriendly climate. Those extensive Scandinavian roofs were not really accessible, except for maintenance, and the same is true for many extensive roofs today.

But they remain valuable. In terms of visual amenity, looking out of a window onto growing things lifts the spirits and puts the city dweller in touch with the changing seasons. And there are other benefits of green roofs – thermal and noise insulation, for example.

Like those Scandinavian farmers, contemporary designers have come to appreciate that having a planted roof can modulate temperature change. Researchers at Nottingham Trent University studied the fluctuations in temperature beneath the membranes of a traditional roof and a green roof. With the external mean daily temperature varying between 0C and 18.4C, the researchers found that the temperature beneath the membrane of a conventional roof fluctuated between 0.2C and 32C. In contrast, under the green roof the variation was much less – from 4.7C to 17.1C. So the green roof helped to keep the building warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

Research shows that a green roof can significantly reduce the noise coming into a building – the greater the depth of the substrate, the more the sound is reduced.

Green roofs can also play a key role in SUDS (sustainable urban drainage schemes). Typically, a green roof will intercept at least the first 5mm of rain in any shower, reducing run off to sewers etc. With a significant number of green roofs, the existing Victorian systems will be able to cope for longer. This is a benefit not so much to the individual property, as to the city as a whole.

Another city-wide benefit comes from the role that green roofs can play in reducing the urban heat island – the effect that makes cities hotter than the surrounding countryside. The greatest benefit of all comes when a building is entirely enveloped in vegetation – with a green roof and also green walls.

Green roofs can also make a considerable contribution to biodiversity. In this case they can replace habitats that were destroyed when the building took place, or can provide oases for certain birds and invertebrates amidst a sea of building. All planted roofs will offer some benefits, but research shows that the best habitat consists of a mixture of sedums and native wild flowers.

With so many benefits to green roofs, it may be surprising that they have not become more widespread – as they are for instance in Switzerland and Germany. Certainly their use is being encouraged, with major cities including London and Manchester writing policies to encourage their adoption.

But there may be some reluctance, either because they are new and not entirely understood, or because of concerns about durability. In fact, a green roof protects the membrane beneath it, increasing its lifespan, but there is a concern that if a membrane were to fail, dealing with a leak could be an expensive and complex process.

Modern lightweight modular green roof systems include products that are made up of 0.5 m module trays which slot together for a seamless finish and provide plant drainage. These allow the building owner to create either a sedum roof or a bespoke horticultural selection of sedum, indigenous grasses and wildflowers. 

The modules are installed over a geotextile filter fabric, which sits on top of the waterproofing. They interlock and need no fixing, so there is no danger of puncturing the waterproof membrane.

== Green walls ==

Some benefits of green roofs can be extended to walls. Increasingly popular, green walls give enormous visual pleasure, and can help to ‘humanise’ long stretches of wall that may be blank. They can take the eye from the mega-scale of a giant construction down to a much more intimate scale. Research at the University of Texas shows that people who work in offices with plants are significantly happier.

And green walls have other quantifiable benefits. They help to remove dust and pollution from the air, and can make a considerable contribution to reducing the urban heat island effect. Green walls do need irrigation – not a substantial amount as much of the water can be recycled, but the system does need to keep operating.

Although widely used in other countries, particularly in France, green walls are still a relatively new concept in the UK. A green wall at West London’s Westfield shopping centre uses SIG Design & Technology’s modular Living Wall system, for example.

= Solar roofs =

A roof can also contribute to the energy needs of the building, by using photovoltaics to generate electricity. The decision to generate electricity from a roof need not rule out the possibility of also having a green roof, in an adjacent area. Indeed, research shows that the two are complementary, since the cooling effect of the planting helps the photovoltaics to become more effective. That really is the ultimate in making the roof work harder.

[[Category:CIOB_competition]]
[[Category:Project_types]]

Green roofs

2013-05-03T14:34:02Z

SIG Design and Technology: Created page with " = Introduction = A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. It protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. In most countries a roo..."

= Introduction =

A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. It protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. In most countries a roof protects primarily against rain. However, depending upon the nature of the building, the roof may also protect against heat, sunlight, cold, snow and wind. Other types of structure, for example, a garden conservatory, might use roofing that protects against cold, wind and rain but admits light. A verandah may be roofed with material that protects against sunlight but admits the other elements. 
The characteristics of a roof are dependent upon the purpose of the building that it covers, the available roofing materials and the local traditions of construction and wider concepts of architectural design and practice and may also be governed by local or national legislation.

In the UK, roofs need to perform thermally. Their position on the top of the building is vital, since hot air rises, and so heat loss through a poorly insulated roof is even more severe than through a poorly insulated wall. Legislation is becoming ever stricter, and the roof has a key part to play in this. The latest version of Part L of the Building Regulations (April 2013) seeks reductions in emissions of CO2 of 25 per cent relative to 2006 – the next step towards making all new domestic buildings zero carbon by 2016, and all non-domestic buildings zero carbon by 2019.

To achieve this building owners need better levels of insulation and higher standards of construction – cutting down on air leakage will become ever more essential to achieving standards as levels of insulation continue to rise. Already air-tightness testing is playing a vital role in the assessment of newly finished buildings. To achieve these objectives requires well designed, well insulated roofs, with reliable systems built by reliable people.

For example, roofing supplier SIG D&T launched an accreditation scheme in 2012 called DATAC (SIG Design & Technology Accredited Contractor scheme), which places heavy demands on installer companies. In order to be accredited, roofing companies must have:
#an exceptional knowledge of roofing systems
#a proven record of installation
#suitable management skills and quality-assurance procedures and
#membership of a relevant trade association, with current insurance cover.

Construction and roof installation is only half the story, with the other half being the quality of the roofing materials or products. In many parts of the world ceramic tiles have been the predominant roofing material for centuries, but roofs have also been constructed from a wide range of materials from slate, wood and straw to laminated glass, copper, aluminium sheeting and precast concrete.

The construction of a roof is determined by its method of support and how the underneath space is bridged and whether or not the roof is pitched. The pitch is the angle at which the roof rises from its lowest to highest point. Most UK domestic architecture has roofs that are sloped, or pitched, for reasons of tradition and aesthetics. So, the pitch is partly dependent upon stylistic factors, and partially to do with practicalities. Some types of roofing, for example thatch, require a steep pitch in order to be waterproof and durable. Other types of roofing, for example pantiles, are unstable on a steeply pitched roof but provide excellent weather protection at a relatively low angle. In regions where there is little rain, an almost flat roof with a slight run-off provides adequate protection against an occasional downpour.

The durability of a roof is a matter of concern because the roof is often the least accessible part of a building for purposes of repair and renewal, while its damage or destruction can have serious effects.

= Roof gardens or green roofs =

One of the important things that roofs can do is provide amenity. With increasing population and increasing numbers of households, the UK has to live and work more densely. This is vital to preserve rural areas, but also to make towns and cities work more effectively, and in a more energy efficient manner. Several studies show that carbon emissions per person rise in cities the less dense they become, because of the greater use of transport and, in particular, the private car.

But increasing density will mean, to a great extent, doing away with private gardens. Where then can people go to relax, to see the sun and to breathe some fresh air? The answer, in part, is on the roof. Dickon Robinson, former development director of the Peabody Trust, has publicly advocated putting all new gardens on the roof.

A roof garden can be a number of things. It can be a place to sit, a place to play, or a place to grow plants. Those plants may be decorative, but they could also be edible. More and more people are eager to grow their own vegetables and herbs.

Rosie Boycott, chair of London Food, was one of a number of pundits asked by the Observer newspaper to predict the nature of the future. She wrote, on 24 January 2013:

‘Rooftops and spare places will be full of vegetables; not obviously, enough to feed the city, but enough to make people more resilient and more aware of where food comes from.’

All these roofs can be classified as green roofs – after all, even the paved roof for sitting is likely to have a few plants in pots. Although green roofs come in many forms, there are two basic types. These are the ‘intensive’ roof, which is carefully planted and tended and can be thought of, in some sense, as a garden. And there is the extensive roof, which is closer to a natural condition and allowed to a great extent to look after itself. Neither is an original idea.

The intensive roof can be seen as going back as far as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which formed one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Nebuchanezzar II built the gardens – essentially a series of intensive roofs - for his wife who was homesick for the plants of her native Persia. Further north, in Scandinavia, farmers created one of the first extensive roofs, by stripping the sod from surrounding grass meadows, and placing it on the roof, supported by heavy timber beams. This provided an early form of roof insulation, in an unfriendly climate. Those extensive Scandinavian roofs were not really accessible, except for maintenance, and the same is true for many extensive roofs today.

But they remain valuable. In terms of visual amenity, looking out of a window onto growing things lifts the spirits and puts the city dweller in touch with the changing seasons. And there are other benefits of green roofs – thermal and noise insulation, for example.

Like those Scandinavian farmers, contemporary designers have come to appreciate that having a planted roof can modulate temperature change. Researchers at Nottingham Trent University studied the fluctuations in temperature beneath the membranes of a traditional roof and a green roof. With the external mean daily temperature varying between 0C and 18.4C, the researchers found that the temperature beneath the membrane of a conventional roof fluctuated between 0.2C and 32C. In contrast, under the green roof the variation was much less – from 4.7C to 17.1C. So the green roof helped to keep the building warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

Research shows that a green roof can significantly reduce the noise coming into a building – the greater the depth of the substrate, the more the sound is reduced.

Green roofs can also play a key role in SUDS (sustainable urban drainage schemes). Typically, a green roof will intercept at least the first 5mm of rain in any shower, reducing run off to sewers etc. With a significant number of green roofs, the existing Victorian systems will be able to cope for longer. This is a benefit not so much to the individual property, as to the city as a whole.

Another city-wide benefit comes from the role that green roofs can play in reducing the urban heat island – the effect that makes cities hotter than the surrounding countryside. The greatest benefit of all comes when a building is entirely enveloped in vegetation – with a green roof and also green walls.

Green roofs can also make a considerable contribution to biodiversity. In this case they can replace habitats that were destroyed when the building took place, or can provide oases for certain birds and invertebrates amidst a sea of building. All planted roofs will offer some benefits, but research shows that the best habitat consists of a mixture of sedums and native wild flowers.

With so many benefits to green roofs, it may be surprising that they have not become more widespread – as they are for instance in Switzerland and Germany. Certainly their use is being encouraged, with major cities including London and Manchester writing policies to encourage their adoption.

But there may be some reluctance, either because they are new and not entirely understood, or because of concerns about durability. In fact, a green roof protects the membrane beneath it, increasing its lifespan, but there is a concern that if a membrane were to fail, dealing with a leak could be an expensive and complex process.

Modern lightweight modular green roof systems include products that are made up of 0.5 m module trays which slot together for a seamless finish and provide plant drainage. These allow the building owner to create either a sedum roof or a bespoke horticultural selection of sedum, indigenous grasses and wildflowers. 

The modules are installed over a geotextile filter fabric, which sits on top of the waterproofing. They interlock and need no fixing, so there is no danger of puncturing the waterproof membrane.

== Green walls ==

Some benefits of green roofs can be extended to walls. Increasingly popular, green walls give enormous visual pleasure, and can help to ‘humanise’ long stretches of wall that may be blank. They can take the eye from the mega-scale of a giant construction down to a much more intimate scale. Research at the University of Texas shows that people who work in offices with plants are significantly happier.

And green walls have other quantifiable benefits. They help to remove dust and pollution from the air, and can make a considerable contribution to reducing the urban heat island effect. Green walls do need irrigation – not a substantial amount as much of the water can be recycled, but the system does need to keep operating.

Although widely used in other countries, particularly in France, green walls are still a relatively new concept in the UK. A green wall at West London’s Westfield shopping centre uses SIG Design & Technology’s modular Living Wall system, for example.

= Solar roofs =

A roof can also contribute to the energy needs of the building, by using photovoltaics to generate electricity. The decision to generate electricity from a roof need not rule out the possibility of also having a green roof, in an adjacent area. Indeed, research shows that the two are complementary, since the cooling effect of the planting helps the photovoltaics to become more effective. That really is the ultimate in making the roof work harder.

[[Category:CIOB_competition]]
[[Category:Project_types]]

User:SIG Design and Technology

2013-05-03T14:24:28Z

SIG Design and Technology:

= What we do =

SIG Design & Technology delivers a complete and impartial design and supply service built around its flat roof products (including green roofing systems and bespoke metal solutions) with the aim of enabling the roof to work harder.

We help roofing designers and contractors make their roofs save energy and carbon, generate energy and integrate with other technologies such as solar collection, drainage and heat pumps.

With decades of experience we’re familiar with many of the problems designers and contractors face when looking at getting the most from a roof, and have examples of successful projects you can use to satisfy your clients and insurers.

= Who we are =

[http://www.singleply.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings SIG Design & Technology] is a part of SIG Exteriors, a leading division of [http://www.sigplc.com/UK/Home.htm SIG plc], a FTSE 250 listed company and the UK’s market leading specialist supplier to professionals in the building and construction industry.

= How we work =

In a Six Step Process we:

1. Identify your performance criteria;

2. Recommend the best solution;

3. Provide all necessary detailing;

4. Supply all materials;

5. Support contractors  on site;

6. Issue a guarantee.

Apart from the cost of the materials themselves, ''SIG Design & Technology’s design and support service is completely free of charge.''

== '''Our Products''' ==

Products sourced from leading product manufacturers include:

[http://www.singleply.co.uk/flatRoofs-systems-overview.asp?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Single Ply Roofing Membranes:]
*IKO Armourplan (PVC)
*IKO Spectraplan (TPE)
*Rhenofol (PVC)
*Rhepanol FK & HG (PIB)

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/your-zinc-roofing-and-cladding-questions-from-ecobuild/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Zinc Roofing]
*NedZink (including new NedZink NOVA)

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/when-to-use-hot-melt-roofing-system/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Hot Melt]
*IKO permaTEC

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/category/green-roof/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Green Roofing]
*Blackdown Built-Up Green Roofing System
*LiveRoof Lite Hybrid Modular Green Roof

== Our approved installers   ==

SIG D&T has a national accreditation scheme for  roofing contractors called [http://www.singleply.co.uk/aboutUs-datac.asp?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings DATAC] (the Design & Technology Accredited Contractors Scheme) to  benchmark roofing installation standards. Today over 200 member installer companies offer expert roofing knowledge and install roofs from 50-50,000 m2. Each business is committed to high standards of training and corporate management so that you can be assured of a high quality installation.

== Our affiliations   ==

SIG Design & Technology is a corporate member of SPRA and NFRC.

= Get in Touch =

[http://www.linkedin.com/company/sig-design-and-technology Follow us on Linkedin]

[http://twitter.com/SIGDesignTech Talk to us on Twitter]

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Visit our Technical Blog]

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/SIG_what-we-do_2013.pdf?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Download our interactive ‘What we Do’ PDF]

 

SIG Design & Technology Mannheim House Gelders Hall Road Shepshed Leicestershire LE12 9NH

Tel 01509 505714

Fax 01509 505475

Email: [mailto:_blog@singleply.co.uk blog@singleply.co.uk]

[http://www.singleply.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings www.singleply.co.uk]

[http://www.sigzincandcopper.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings www.sigzincandcopper.co.uk]

User:SIG Design and Technology

2013-05-03T14:19:59Z

SIG Design and Technology:

= What we do =

SIG Design & Technology delivers a complete and impartial design and supply service built around its flat roof products (including green roofing systems and bespoke metal solutions) with the aim of enabling the roof to work harder.

We help roofing designers and contractors make their roofs save energy and carbon, generate energy and integrate with other technologies such as solar collection, drainage and heat pumps.

With decades of experience we’re familiar with many of the problems designers and contractors face when looking at getting the most from a roof, and have examples of successful projects you can use to satisfy your clients and insurers.

= Who we are =

[http://www.singleply.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings SIG Design & Technology] is a part of SIG Exteriors, a leading division of [http://www.sigplc.com/UK/Home.htm SIG plc], a FTSE 250 listed company and the UK’s market leading specialist supplier to professionals in the building and construction industry.

= How we work =

In a Six Step Process we:

1. Identify your performance criteria;

2. Recommend the best solution;

3. Provide all necessary detailing;

4. Supply all materials;

5. Support contractors  on site;

6. Issue a guarantee.

Apart from the cost of the materials themselves, ''SIG Design & Technology’s design and support service is completely free of charge.''

== '''Our Products''' ==

Products sourced from leading product manufacturers include:

[http://www.singleply.co.uk/flatRoofs-systems-overview.asp?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Single Ply Roofing Membranes:]
*IKO Armourplan (PVC)
*IKO Spectraplan (TPE)
*Rhenofol (PVC)
*Rhepanol FK & HG (PIB)

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/your-zinc-roofing-and-cladding-questions-from-ecobuild/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Zinc Roofing]
*NedZink (including new NedZink NOVA)

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/when-to-use-hot-melt-roofing-system/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Hot Melt]
*IKO permaTEC

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/category/green-roof/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Green Roofing]
*Blackdown Built-Up Green Roofing System
*LiveRoof Lite Hybrid Modular Green Roof

== Our approved installers   ==

SIG D&T has a national accreditation scheme for  roofing contractors called [http://www.singleply.co.uk/aboutUs-datac.asp?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings DATAC] (the Design & Technology Accredited Contractors Scheme) to  benchmark roofing installation standards. Today over 200 member installer companies offer expert roofing knowledge and install roofs from 50-50,000 m2. Each business is committed to high standards of training and corporate management so that you can be assured of a high quality installation.

== Our affiliations   ==

SIG Design & Technology is a corporate member of SPRA and NFRC.

= Get in Touch =

[http://www.linkedin.com/company/sig-design-and-technology Follow us on Linkedin]

[http://twitter.com/SIGDesignTech Talk to us on Twitter]

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Visit our Technical Blog]

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/SIG_what-we-do_2013.pdf?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Download our interactive ‘What we Do’ PDF]

 

SIG Design & Technology Mannheim House Gelders Hall Road Shepshed Leicestershire LE12 9NH

Tel 01509 505714

Fax 01509 505475

[http://www.singleply.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings www.singleply.co.uk]

[http://www.sigzincandcopper.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings www.sigzincandcopper.co.uk]

User:SIG Design and Technology

2013-05-03T14:19:25Z

SIG Design and Technology:

= What we do =

SIG Design & Technology delivers a complete and impartial design and supply service built around its flat roof products (including green roofing systems and bespoke metal solutions) with the aim of enabling the roof to work harder.

We help roofing designers and contractors make their roofs save energy and carbon, generate energy and integrate with other technologies such as solar collection, drainage and heat pumps.

With decades of experience we’re familiar with many of the problems designers and contractors face when looking at getting the most from a roof, and have examples of successful projects you can use to satisfy your clients and insurers.

= Who we are =

[http://www.singleply.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings SIG Design & Technology] is a part of SIG Exteriors, a leading division of [http://www.sigplc.com/UK/Home.htm SIG plc], a FTSE 250 listed company and the UK’s market leading specialist supplier to professionals in the building and construction industry.

= How we work =

In a Six Step Process we:

1. Identify your performance criteria;

2. Recommend the best solution;

3. Provide all necessary detailing;

4. Supply all materials;

5. Support contractors  on site;

6. Issue a guarantee.

Apart from the cost of the materials themselves, ''SIG Design & Technology’s design and support service is completely free of charge.''

== '''Our Products''' ==

Products sourced from leading product manufacturers include:

[http://www.singleply.co.uk/flatRoofs-systems-overview.asp?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Single Ply Roofing Membranes:]
*IKO Armourplan (PVC)
*IKO Spectraplan (TPE)
*Rhenofol (PVC)
*Rhepanol FK & HG (PIB)

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/your-zinc-roofing-and-cladding-questions-from-ecobuild/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Zinc Roofing]
*NedZink (including new NedZink NOVA)

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/when-to-use-hot-melt-roofing-system/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Hot Melt]
*IKO permaTEC

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/category/green-roof/?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Green Roofing]
*Blackdown Built-Up Green Roofing System
*LiveRoof Lite Hybrid Modular Green Roof

= Our approved installers   =

SIG D&T has a national accreditation scheme for  roofing contractors called [http://www.singleply.co.uk/aboutUs-datac.asp?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings DATAC] (the Design & Technology Accredited Contractors Scheme) to  benchmark roofing installation standards. Today over 200 member installer companies offer expert roofing knowledge and install roofs from 50-50,000 m2. Each business is committed to high standards of training and corporate management so that you can be assured of a high quality installation.

== Our affiliations   ==

SIG Design & Technology is a corporate member of SPRA and NFRC.

= Get in Touch =

[http://www.linkedin.com/company/sig-design-and-technology Follow us on Linkedin]

[http://twitter.com/SIGDesignTech Talk to us on Twitter]

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Visit our Technical Blog]

[http://blog.singleply.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/SIG_what-we-do_2013.pdf?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings Download our interactive ‘What we Do’ PDF]

 

SIG Design & Technology Mannheim House Gelders Hall Road Shepshed Leicestershire LE12 9NH

Tel 01509 505714

Fax 01509 505475

[http://www.singleply.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings www.singleply.co.uk]

[http://www.sigzincandcopper.co.uk?utm_source=Designing_buildings&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=designing_buildings www.sigzincandcopper.co.uk]

User:SIG Design and Technology

2013-05-03T14:06:19Z

SIG Design and Technology: Created page with " = What we do = SIG Design & Technology delivers a complete and impartial design and supply service built around its flat roof products (including green roofing systems and bes..."