Alumasc delivers complete building envelope for One Chamberlain Square

Alumasc delivers complete building envelope for One Chamberlain Square

With the help of Alumasc’s solutions for the entire building envelope, One Chamberlain Square is set to be a vibrant mixed-use development. The hub will be the new home of professional services firm PwC, as well as providing a balance between busy urban life and the natural world of Birmingham.

Alumasc provided a range of products and services encompassing the entire building envelope, specified by Weedon Architects. This included a Blackdown Greenroofs Extensive Brown Roof, applied over Hydrotech Hot Melt Waterproofing, alongside Harmer Roof Outlets and bespoke solutions from Roof-Pro, for building D: an eight-story commercial building over a podium car park. Inside, bespoke blinds by Levolux, also an Alumasc company, were installed.

Covering approximately 4000m2 of roof space for this project, One Chamberlain’s Extensive Brown Roof from Blackdown Greenroofs is installed without plant life. The roof will naturally seed from plant material that either blows in from the local environment or that is introduced by birds. It therefore replaces the green space that has been taken up by the construction of the building it lies on. Thus, encouraging biodiversity by providing and strengthening habitats for wildlife local to the area, with local plant life.

Typically, the substrate is mounded to offer habitat variation, therefore the depth of the brown roof can vary be between 92-170mm and have a saturated weight of approximately 113-213kg per square metre, depending on the depths of the substrate.

Beneath, Hydrotech MM6125 roofing delivers sound structural waterproofing. The bitumen is heated and combined with a polyester reinforcement and protection sheet to form a weatherproof layer that has a 100% bond to prepared concrete surfaces. With no product failures in over 50 years, Hydrotech Hot Melt roofing is guaranteed for waterproofing integrity for the lifetime of the structure.

Working in tandem with each other, the Blackdown Greenroofs Extensive Brown Roof helps to extend and reinforce the life and guarantee of the waterproofing, offering a protective layer of natural insulation.

Slightly closer to the ground, controlled descent three-stop blinds by Levolux were installed, anticipating the sunlight that will beam into the glass fronted building upon completion and giving thought to end user comfort. Levolux offer an extensive range of blinds ideally suited for offices, public buildings, hospitals, schools and other locations where glare control is important.

Each blind of the unique roller blind system is designed to automatically descend to one of three stops in a controlled manner when the operation chain is released, providing a uniform look. Bespoke ‘Z’ brackets were fabricated to support the recessed headbox surrounding the blinds.

Given the huge roof expanse, Harmer AV high capacity aluminium roof outlets were installed for effective flat roof drainage. Suitable for all regular flat roofing applications with continuous membranes, these outlets are lightweight, durable, non-corrodible and have been proven to drain 40% more roof area than conventional gravity outlets.

Aiding project completion, Roof-Pro support systems were tailored to meet the roof structure requirements. Free-standing support and access solutions were devised that would allow work to be carried out safely, efficiently and without causing damage to any of the roofing systems being installed.

Christian Bradley of Briggs Amasco, who installed the roofing, commented: “One Chamberlain Square and the surrounding podium waterproofing form part of the largest construction programme in Birmingham. We are extremely proud to be working on this landmark project.

“The products and systems installed all have long legacies of successful projects behind them, and there are no better guarantees than real results. They also offer excellent value for a competitive cost. These are just a few of the reasons why we love working on Alumasc projects. Alumasc offer a single source for all solutions, bespoke design detailing and the technical support is always on-hand when you need it.”

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Alumasc Roofing

Alumasc Roofing

Alumasc Roofing is a leading provider of exceptional products and solutions for new build and refurbishment projects.

They have a wealth of experience in dealing with key clients and customers across all building sectors to deliver a...
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