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« Gleeson Inspire Homes, Crawley, West Sussex »
Monday, February 22, 2010 at 12:27AM CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW/DOWNLOAD CASE STUDY IN PDF FORMAT
Gleeson “Inspire” Homes, with their striking AshJack curved roof structure, finished with the AshZip standing seam roof system, feature a beautiful design situated at the heart of Crawley Town Centre, adjacent to the historic high street.
Used for both refurbishment and new build applications, AshJack was first developed in 1988 by Ash & Lacy. It was the first structural, lightweight over-roof conversion system in the UK, developed to overcome the problems created by the failure of 1960’s/1970 flat roofs to shed water and retain thermal insulation integrity.
As the apartment block occupies a very prominent position on a corner site and is the landmark building on a major route through the town, PRP Architects designed the curved roofs to create a contemporary image, whilst the low height of the roof structure achieved a more traditional form of construction. Therefore, to achieve the look, structural engineering consultant Gyoury Self Partnership used the AshJack system, as it ensured the bulk and form was acceptable to the planning officers in such a sensitive location.
Another prominent feature of the Gleeson “Inspire” Homes is the highly-glazed, barrel-vaulted bay on the corner, which creates a successful urban design feature at the junction of the two streets.
Unlike the usual lightweight joisted construction used for refurbishment, the Gleeson “Inspire” buildings have been designed with an in-situ concrete slab at the upper level to provide a firm platform on which to bear Ash & Lacy’s AshJack structural supports. CAD was used to design the curved roof beforehand. The roof was initially designed as a “cold” roof, with an insulation overlay across the in-situ slab to ensure thermal protection.
AshZip was secretly-fixed around halters and overlays the AshJack framework. The AshZip material is light, easy to handle and eliminates the need for penetrative fixings, increasing the effectiveness of weatherproofing.
Ash & Lacy offers a complete package, having supplied AshFab fabrications for the Crawley “Inspire” apartments, using polyester powder-coated specialist fabrications, aluminium flashings, curved flashings, aluminium standard and curved gutters, to create a beautiful finish for Gleeson Homes.
Gyoury Self Partnership had previously worked with Ash & Lacy. The engineering consultant recognised that the curved framework had several advantages. Not only does it look aesthetically pleasing, the AshJack frame on a flat concrete slab also acts as a barrier to provide acoustic separation between the individual flats.
The framework complies with wind and snow loading and building regulations, Rick Potterton from Gyoury Self Partnership comments: “In using this simple solution, we avoided the expensive curved structural steel trusses or portals spanning between the outside walls and also the complex detailing of taking the internal separating walls 150mm above the ceiling line. We would employ this technique again to form a curved roof. Ash & Lacy is clearly a competent firm – their technical service was excellent.”
The roofing installer responsible for the project was Robin Harris from Mars Construction, who was pleased with the finish and with the relationship they have with Ash & Lacy who sees it as: “a complete package that offers a steel framework, roofing, flashing, fabrications, gutter, rainwater pipes and steel support structure. Ash & Lacy’s products are of high quality, the service is good with a guaranteed warranty. They are also nice people to work with.”