Sankey Bridge Industrial Estate consists of typical light industrial warehouse sheds. Warrington Borough Council wanted to make safe the asbestos roof on one of the buildings, while keeping it open so the tenant could continue operating as usual.

Every year around 5,000 people in the UK die from health issues related to asbestos, which can be present in any building constructed or refurbished before 2000. Asbestos should only be removed by licensed specialists, such as Complete Roofing Systems, but removing it is disruptive and hazardous, especially if the material is in a bad condition. In fact, it may be deemed safer to leave asbestos in situ.

At Sankey Bridge, it was decided that the existing 500sqm asbestos roof should be encapsulated and over clad with insulated steel sheeting. This approach avoided a dangerous removal operation, while allowing the tenant to keep working, and provided enhanced insulation. The warranty for overcladding was the same as for stripping and re-sheeting the building, but at a much-reduced cost.

Not only did our team have to carefully manage working around the asbestos sheeting, always following the Health and Safety at Work Act and HSG33, but safety netting had to be installed under the roof to protect both our operatives and the building occupants.

We first fixed a bar and bracket system to the existing sheet, with mineral wool insulation inserted over the top. The new 0.7mm plastisol-coated steel sheet was then fixed to the bar and bracket system, sandwiching the insulation in between. Our team also applied a liquid-coating to the gutters.

The UK government is committed to zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, including more energy efficient buildings. One way of driving that ambition is through the Building Regulations.

Part L (Conservation of Fuel & Power) of the Building Regulations sets out the energy efficiency and thermal requirements of a building based on its area, which is calculated using specialist software.

Any roof that is being completely replaced or overclad must comply with Part L so, on projects such as this, we fully brief the client and work with the insulation manufacturer to calculate the thickness of the insulation needed to meet the requirements.

Overcladding the existing asbestos roof allowed Warrington Borough Council to ensure the health of its tenant while enabling them to continue their business as usual. The enhanced insulation also ensured the building met Part L of the Building Regulations.

Read more about our specialist asbestos removal and overcladding services.