28-02-2008
When it comes to the bricks and blocks of education buildings, specifiers arguably have more considerations to factor in than most other sectors.
Roofs in this sector have a multitude of robust criteria to meet, ranging from Health and Safety through aesthetics and life cycle costs to that current buzzword – sustainability.
Various trends have driven these requirements, not least that of litigation, which has placed a heavy burden of responsibility on designers, contractors and building owners to choose and use materials that are safe and secure for the building’s occupants and caretakers.
Currently, only one roofing systems company in the UK has Secured By Design accreditation, Decra Roof Systems, which means only their products can be supplied to a Police Preferred Specification.
Decra is also the first roof tile systems supplier in the UK to win an entry in the world-renowned Red Book published by the Loss Prevention Certification Board, part of BRE Global.
Government emphasis on “Better by design” also means the roof has to look the part … although not at the expense of the environment. Roof tiles that simulate traditional clay or concrete tiles and slates at a fraction of the weight have been available in the UK through Decra for 30 years now.
Manufactured from steel, the world’s most recycled material, approximately 25% of every Decra tile’s steel content is recycled. Moreover, when eventually the steel tile roof is decommissioned, the steel can be recycled once again.
New coatings also add to the Decra tiles’ environmental credentials including one that has self-cleaning properties and another that prevents the sun’s infrared rays from being absorbed, helping to reduce CO2 emissions and energy bills by lessening the need for cooling or air conditioning in warmer months. Both technologies support rainwater harvesting and reuse.
In the PPP sector, where the costs of the ongoing operation of an education building are as crucial a factor as its initial construction, the roof also needs to be low maintenance, long living and low cost, and independent research by Davis Langdon has shown that Decra’s lightweight steel tiles are up to 66% cheaper than 13 other roofing systems based on a whole life costing.
A series of video demonstrations online also demonstrate the performance superiority of Decra’s tiles over traditional roofing materials.
As well as showing the Decra tiles were 64% quicker to install than traditional concrete/clay plain tiles and concrete interlocking tiles, the tests included a comparison of security (resisting uplift, either by high winds or by intentional vandalism) of installation and impact resistance.
Traditional concrete/clay plain or interlocking tiles had a large hole ripped within minutes while the “burglar” attempting damage to the Decra tiles was still trying (and failing) to start to lift a single panel.
Vandal or storm damage too is limited - impact resistance tests (by the simple method of hurling bricks at the test panels) again showed the Decra tiles to be lightweight but strong. The traditional plain and interlocking tiles soon smashed and fell, while the Decra tiles showed only the slightest cosmetic damage.
Maybe the options are now obvious for specifiers of education buildings!
