OBR were awarded the project as main contractor to upgrade and renew the roof of the science discovery centre in the town centre of Wrexham. This included scaffolding around the perimeter of the building, crane lifts to being material up and down from the roof level, Alumasc felt roof upgrade and a solar panel array installation to help power the building below. 

The original 1,500m2 roof was a single ply membrane and had a number of leaks and reached the end of its life. The specification was to overlay the roof with 130mm insulation to thermally upgrade the building and then install a 25 year felt system. The selected system was the Alumas Derbigum Olivine membrane, this was selected for its performance as well as its environmental advantages. The Olivine membrane absorbs caron during its lifetime, and is made for recycled material. This allowed the client to achieve one of its key performance indicators in reducing their environmental impact. 

As a Alumasc QA contractor, OBR were able to undertaken this work with our own workforce and our experience with the system provided reassurance to the client that we would have a high quality finish. 

One the roof was installed, the large solar panel array as installed. This was a 107kWp system that delivers over 90,000 kWh annually. This was calculated to reduce the clients carbon emissions by over 17 tonnes a year. The whole system was designed and installed by our sub-contractor CorEnergy, who we have previously worked with on a number of projects. As they were installing various items and penetration to feed and system, OBR roofing operatives were on hand to seal the penetrations with the approved methodology specified by the Alumasc manufacturer, ensuring that the clients warranty remained intact. 

As the main contractor, we were tasked with setting up and managing the site. This included all temporary works and access. Having the scaffolding on the high street required a permit by the council and we needed to make sure that the structure and public remained safe. We double up on the fencing height to ensure nobody could climb into the scaffolding, and our own site manager has the qualification and experience to scaff tag the structure weekly. Our H&S manager is also our temporary works manager, and our site supervisor was our temporary works coordinator. During the crane lifts, the crane provider provided the lift plan and safe system of works, but our management team reviewed all their documentation and tested the ground conditions to ensure the load bearing capacity of the crane birthing location was suitable for the loads noted in the lift plan. Our supervisor reviewed and wind and weather condition during all lifts to ensure the operator stayed within the tolerances stated in their RAMS. 

The work was completed successfully and within the programme agreed during contract award.