April 2003


Ash and Lacy Building Systems's Ashjack lightweight structural frame system for flat to pitch roof conversion was recently selected for a BAE SYSTEMS site.

Chris Pugh, BAE SYSTEMS' Estates Manager, explained some of the issues that led towards the establishment of an over-cladding solution facilitated by leading Ashjack approved installer Rentokil Roofing.

"Repairing the existing asphalt-covered flat concrete roof and lantern rooflights would have been quite expensive, due to the size of the building. There was also no guarantee that the repairs would have made the building watertight, as we had not successfully detected the full cause of the water ingress through the asphalt membrane, the vertical glazed areas, the parapet wall rainwater outlets and the many upstand and flashing details.

In contrast, the original building construction, apart from the maintenance problems mentioned above, had some very good points. There was a large open floor area and the distribution of natural lighting via the lantern light was very good.

We wanted to retain as much of this natural light as possible. We therefore included large areas of translucent sheeting in the new Ashjack-supported roof. When viewed from inside the building, the light reduction is quite acceptable. The use of the Ashjack system aided the achievement of this feature due to its lightweight construction. Although we knew that the Ashjack frame would be visible internally through the existing glazing, it is not obtrusive in practice and cannot be seen externally.

In my opinion we made the right choice. The client is also very happy with the finished job."

Ashjack is the original lightweight structural frame system for the fast assembly of flat-to-pitch roof conversions. It has been proven on hundreds of buildings in the UK and overseas. Ashjack is supported by a nationwide network of approved installers, who all conform to a code of practice that incorporates full training and site inspections. Full latent defects warranties are also available.