Blackdown Green Roof put forward for Scottish roofing award

The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) Scottish Roofing Contractor of the Year awards recognise and reward outstanding standards of workmanship and technical expertise in the roofing industry within Scotland.

Alumasc Roofing Systems entered the SSE Hydro entertainment and sporting venue as their roofing project for contention. The intensive green roof system on this landmark Foster & Partners designed project was supplied and installed by the company’s green roof specialist, Blackdown. It was announced that this project is a successful finalist under the Green Roof section.

The installation at the SSE Hydro presented a number of challenges due to the varying pitch of the roof and the requirement for the planting system to be fed on a regular basis.

The roof is circular in plan, but undulating in section, therefore it constantly changes gradients in all directions; up to 520 in certain areas. To manage this, the scheme required retention measures to be installed by a third party. Blackdown then installed the substrate, which was blown into special filtration socks on the roof, creating a skirt.

Paul Otway, Head of Contracts at Blackdown, comments:

“Due to the fluctuating pitch of the roof, from between 8 and 520 degrees, we worked closely with our supply partners to devise an innovative solution for the delivery and application of over 1000m3 of substrate required for the roof. Our successful methodology meant that manual handling of materials was kept to a minimum and the installation was completed within the timescales agreed.”

Over 37,000 individual Lonicera Nitida ‘Maygreen’ shrubs were contract grown over 18 months for this project. These are broadleaf, evergreen plants that are native to China and are often used for bonsai. Blackdown operatives planted each individual shrub by hand, creating a dense, evergreen landscape that skirts the main facade of the arena.

Blackdown also supplied and installed an automatic irrigation system to ensure the shrubs are fed and watered with minimum manpower requirements.

A combination of Blackdown’s design, grow and supply expertise helped this project become a huge success, hence it being a finalist for this prestigious award.

Judging was undertaken by a panel of independent professionals and the winning projects will be announced on 24 October 2014 at Trades Hall, Glasgow.

For more information on Blackdown’s green roof products or services, please call 0333 5771 500 or email roofing@alumasc-exteriors.co.uk

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