Midland Single Ply Roofing's refurbishment of a University of Reading building using the Sika Sarnafil roofing system has seen the contractor scoop the coveted Single Ply prize at the recent Roofing Awards 2013.

An icon of 1970s architecture, the URS Building – or ‘Lego Building’, as it’s been dubbed – is part of the university’s Whiteknights Campus. But, with its original asphalt roof having reached the end of its life, refurbishment was needed to bring the building in line with current regulations as part of a wider thermal upgrade.

The job was awarded to Midland Single Ply Roofing on the strength of previous roof overlays at the university. The refurbishment saw the team prepare and overlay the existing asphalt with 120mm of Sarnatherm insulation, using Sarnacol 2162 adhesive to secure it in place. The Sika Sarnafil G410-12ELF membrane in Light Grey was then adhered to the insulation using Sarnacol 2142S adhesive.

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Perhaps what clinched the award win, however, was the skill Midland Single Ply Roofing showed when dealing with some tricky parapet detailing. The URS Building roof is regularly trafficked for maintenance purposes and so the 1,100mm-high parapets and single handrail on top of them had to be raised in height to meet the latest handrail height regulations as part of the wider upgrade. So the team not only successfully detailed approximately 200m of parapet, but also undertook the detailing underneath the existing vertical cladding, without having to remove the original material, thereby simplifying and speeding up the job.

Throughout the project, the URS Building also remained open and operational, with disruption kept to a minimum.

This is the second time Midland Single Ply Roofing has succeeded at the Roofing Awards, having reached the finals of the Single Ply category last year for the University of Oxford Sackler Library roof refurbishment.

Commenting on the team's triumph, the contractor's David Burgess said: "The University of Reading commented very favourably on our workmanship and the aesthetics of the finished roof, which was praise enough as far as we were concerned. We were just pleased to have helped ensure this important building is back to looking its best, plus is waterproofed and providing a strong thermal performance. But to have since been recognised for our workmanship at the Roofing Awards is fantastic!"

For more information on the Sika Sarnafil system, visit www.sarnafil.co.uk, call 01603 709360 or email sarnafilroofing@uk.sika.com.