Last time, SIG Design & Technology kicked off their top ten roofing design blog posts published in 2020 with numbers ten to six. It has been the most unusual year for us, for customers and for the industry as a whole. Lets see what this did to their top five.
5. SIG Design & Technology delivering online CPD seminars
Way back in March when the first lockdown began, SIG Design & Technology took the early decision to offer their four RIBA certified CPD seminars to architects online. This article introduced the idea.
Since then, they have delivered over 60 live online webinars to over 1000 architects, architectural staff, surveyors, contractors and students around the world, many of whom would have never been able to host a CPD seminar before.
They are still delivering weekly webinars in Roof Design, Roof Refurbishment, Hard Metal Roofing and Cladding and Natural Slate, and this was recommenced after the Christmas break on 5th January with another on Natural Slate. Read the original article from March, and visit their dedicated page outlining the scheme and how you can join them here.
4. New Liquid Waterproofing Training Videos
In February, SIG Design & Technology launched a set of liquid waterproofing training videos for AH+, the next generation of their popular liquid waterproofing system.
Hydrostop AH+ is a wet-on-wet, cold applied liquid water-proofing product that’s fully reinforced with a polyester fabric. An extremely versatile and innovative one-component liquid system it offers many benefits including ease of application, fast curing times and with low VOC content it is fume free and virtually odourless.
These videos provide installers (and interested specifiers) with a practical understanding of how AH15+ and AH25+ are correctly installed and give a useful insight into both the principles and the process of liquid waterproofing, together with an understanding of the expected appearance of the finished roof, joints and details.
SIG Design & Technology also provide a one-day course in AH+ liquid waterproofing training sessions take at their Roofing Academy in Shepshed, near Loughborough. Watch the videos and read more about AH+ here.
3. Lady Bee Enterprise Centre Case Study
When SIG Design & Technology designed and supplied the zinc roofing and cladding to this innovative group of light industrial units on the quayside at Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, they weren’t to know that it would be quite such a success. The project has gone on to win several regional awards, and is in line for more national ones including the Pitched Roofing Awards and the RCi Façade Awards in the Spring.
Inspired by the nautical history of the site and the local fishing industry, the group of buildings have an energy efficient saw-tooth roof design which has been used on industrial buildings since the 1820s, together with cutting edge features that allow it to be certified BREEAM ‘Very Good’.
The scheme incorporates two types of elZinc zinc roofing and cladding – matt grey elZinc Slate Advance was the choice for the standing seam roofing and cladding, and pearl-grey elZinc Crystal provides a unique, almost iridescent effect for the fish-scale shingles to the sides of the units. Elzinc Advance is especially suited to buildings on the coast; it has a protective coating that is both impermeable to salt damage and minimises the adhesion of salt and inorganic substances. Read more about the project here.
2. Liquid Waterproofing on Refurbishment Projects – Best Practice
Liquid waterproofing systems provide a highly effective method of extending the life of a flat roof – in excess of 25 years depending on the product used – saving money on replacement costs and improving the quality of the existing covering. When should architects use liquid waterproofing, what products are available, and how should the design, specification and installation processes be approached?
This article, originally published in Architecture Today, is an interview with Chris Page, Flat Roofing Product Manager at SIG Design & Technology. The article features some of their most popular products, Hydrostop AH25+ and AH15+, Vulkem Quick System, and SIGnature PU, together with a number of standard details for liquid waterproofing for abutments, parapets, gutters and penetrations. Read it here.
Here is their number one roofing design post of 2020:
1. When to use a Hot Melt Roofing System
It is quite rare for a flat roofing blog post to make it to the top of their top ten. In fact you have to go back to 2017 for the last one.
SIG Design & Technology’s most popular post of 2020 was all about hot melt roofing, what it is, how it works and when you should use it on your roofing project. It includes a video of the application of Permatec Hot Melt, details of the benefits of hot melt roofing, and a number of examples where hot melt roofing is often the best choice, for example on concrete and podium decks and green roofs.
Hot melt is also useful when speed is important, when hot works are not an issue and where you have a complex roof layout with many penetrations or plant, where the quantity and complexity of detailing would make the use of single ply membranes less cost efficient and reliable.
Hot melt is a very robust material, commonly protected in an inverted roof build up, which is why it is particularly suitable for terraces and green roofing too. Read more about hot melt in their most popular blog post of 2020!