exteriors


Sika Sarnafil solves roof challenge at Fitzwilliam College


T


HE roof refurbishment of the Central Building at Cambridge University’s Fitzwilliam College is one


of the first major projects to use a new, pioneering approach combining Sika Sarnafil’s single ply membrane with large areas of its Sikalastic 621 – a liquid applied product typically used for areas with complex detailing. This pairing of systems was further


enhanced by Sika Refurbishment’s SikaFloor 420, providing a complete building envelope solution. Working closely with architect Cullinan


Studio, Roofing Contractors Cambridge (RCC) and the College, Sika Sarnafil created this innovative waterproofing solution to refurbish the roof, which has an extremely complex design. “The original building was constructed


in 1963 by famous brutalist architect, Denys Lasdun,” said Neil Smith, Area Refurbishment Manager at Sika Sarnafil. “From ground level you can see protruding ‘scalloped’ detailing on the roof. If you looked down on the roof from


above, it is like a picture-frame, with the scallops forming the border around the edge of the flat roof. The challenge was to effectively waterproof both the flat roof – which itself had plenty of challenging details – and scalloped areas, while maintaining the look and integrity of the roof and the building as a whole.” Dave Stewart from RCC said: “Due to the


unusual shape of the scallops, it wasn’t aesthetically practical to install sheet membrane on them. So many discussions took place to decide how best to tackle this! “The Sikalastic product ensured these


unique details would be protected without altering their shape. It’s not unusual for a project to incorporate small amounts of Sikalastic, but this is one of the first projects where the Sarnafil


membrane and Sikalastic 621 have been used over large areas together. “For us, the crucial element of this


project was getting the seal right. We worked closely with Sika Sarnafil and did multiple tests to make sure the junction between the Sikalastic 621 and single ply membrane was formed using the most effective detailing. The use of Sarnametal created a strong bond between the two products, enabling them to be successfully sealed together. This was by far the most challenging part of the project, but demonstrates how well these products can work together for roofs with incredibly complex detailing.”


www.sarnafil.sika.com


Sapa shows design flare at Nottingham A


N acclaimed new research building in Nottingham has seen the official switch on of a unique


artwork whose aluminium tubes are embedded with fibre optic lights that respond to NASA measurements of solar flares; with the backdrop to the sculpture being a high-performance glazing system from the range of Sapa Building System, part of Hydro Building Systems UK. Located in the city’s Eastside district,


the Discovery Building is part of the University of Nottingham’s BioCity development and has been part funded by the East Midlands Development Agency, working with Nottingham City Council and the D2N2 Local Enterprise Fund, which contributed £6.5m. The Discovery Building houses


Sygnature Discovery - the UK's largest


independent provider of integrated drug discovery programmes – across four floors, and features high-tech biology and chemistry laboratories. Other facilities include meeting rooms, reception services, shared breakout space and a coffee shop. The project is predicted to protect 250 bioscience jobs in Nottingham, and bring some 700 more over the next 30 years. Willmott Dixon was the main


contractor for the construction of the building, designed by local architectural practice, CPMG, and the specialist fabricator employing the very versatile Sapa NRGY62 system was Bonam and Berry, also based in the city. The main area of glazed façade is 45


metres long and 15 metres tall, being made up of Sapa NRGY62 fixed lights measuring up to 4000mm wide by


www.sapabuildingsystems.co.uk www.cpmg-architects.com www.willmottdixon.co.uk


1500mm high; the 34-mm thick St Gobain solar control glazing offering a centre pane value of 1.0 W/m2K, which was procured from System 3. The Project Architect for CPMG, Matt


Greenhalgh, commented: “The Sapa system proved very adaptable while Bonam and Berry were proactive in coming up with ideas to realise our aspirations for the glazing. At the corner of the building for instance, they volunteered the idea of putting a glass fin behind rather than a mullion – which was a great design led solution.”


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