Thursday 17 December 2009
Over the last month lots has been happening... As soon as the primary steel frame was fire proofed the lightweight steel frame followed closely behind and is being erected between the main steel frame. The whole structure is being covered by a cement fibre board that is taped ready for the waterproof layer and insulation that will cover the whole external envelope of the building.
It is really important that we build all our buildings as airtight as possible to prevent the heat from inside the building from escaping to the outside. This is why you will see the workers on site going round the building carefully taping up any gaps in the boarding to ensure that we have an airtight building. Once the building is airtight we can then control the ventilation to provide the correct amount of fresh air when and where it is needed.
Work on the roof has made good progress despite the bad weather. The various parts of the ‘sandwich’ that form the roof are being installed. First, a breathable liner covers the profiled steel deck which has been fixed to the steel frame. Tapered insulation is then laid, with a single ply waterproof membrane over the top. The steel roof deck is flat, but the tapered insulation diverts surface water into the gutters. It is designed and cut off-site, and assembled like a giant jigsaw on the roof. The circular penetrations that you can see are for sun pipes.
The operatives on site are working hard to keep the program on time. The strong winds and wet weather have affected progress a little but the contractor is still aiming to complete on time.
When the school breaks up for the Christmas holiday the contractor will also take a well earned break. Merry Christmas and we will see you in January 2010.
What’s happening next?
Over the next few weeks you will see:
• The internal partitions being erected
• The roof decking going on to the science building