SR TIMBER FIRE RETARDENT ROOFING BATTEN USED ON AWARD-WINNING LUCENT W1 PROJECT

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Nov 1, 2024/ Off Comments / in General News / by
SR TIMBER FIRE RETARDENT ROOFING BATTEN USED ON AWARD-WINNING LUCENT W1 PROJECT

Client: Landsec

Architect: Fletcher Priest Architects

Main Contractor: Wates Group

Roof design and supply: AccuRoof with SIGA Slate, SIG Zinc and Copper,

SR Timber and SIG Roofing

Specialist Roofing Contractor: E J Roberts Roofing Ltd

Project Website: LucentW1

Over 7,000 linear metres of SR Timbers graded roofing batten was used on the Lucent project, a complex multi-material and award-winning roof located behind Piccadilly Lights in London W1.

The mixed-use development near Piccadilly Circus in London’s West End features one of the most complex roofs ever built in the capital. Spanning almost an entire city block, the project took over four years to complete. Fletcher Priest Architects designed the development, with Wates Group as the main contractor and E J Roberts as the specialist roofing contractor. The project involved the unification of thirteen different buildings, including several historic facades.

AccuRoof, the specification arm of SIG Roofing, was tasked by Wates Group to create a complex folding roof that would fulfil the architects’ original design vision and meet the requirements of BREEAM Outstanding and the Gold WELL Building Standard. The chosen solution involved incorporating natural slate elements into the design while navigating strict environmental and fire safety regulations that prohibited the use of hot works or lead flashings.

The solution, implemented by E J Roberts, a multi-disciplinary roofing contractor with over sixty years of experience, is a roof composed of three different roofing systems. Cwt-y-bugail Natural Slate covers most of the roof, elZinc Lava zinc is used for flashings, gutters, balcony edges, and cladding, and IKO Permatec Hot Melt inverted roof system is used for the flat roof areas, the 22 terraces, and behind the iconic lights.

The Lucent W1 slate features a beautiful dark blue-grey Welsh Slate from the Cwt-y-bugail quarry in Ffestiniog, covering a total of 1450m2 and is designed to meet the requirements of BS 5534.

The main roof areas are covered in 500x250mm slates in the heavier 7mm County grade, with a riven leading edge. This gives the roofscape a familiar, high-quality look, similar to that of historic buildings in the capital. All the slates are double nailed and hook-fixed, and bespoke snow guards eliminate any risk to pedestrians below.

Some of the roof areas required a very low pitch of 15 degrees, which is outside the British Standard. AccuRoof collaborated with specialist manufacturer Permavent to integrate their Easy Slate system in these areas. The system incorporates a unique soaker between each slate, allowing natural slates to be installed at pitches as low as 12 degrees.

Natural slate forms the largest part of the roof and all slate areas were specified to use fire retardant (FRT) batten to meet the project’s fire safety requirements. The original architects design intent stated the use of Aluminium Counter battens (A2 fire rated), but as this wasn’t a recommended install method by Welsh Slate, who recommended timber battens, AccuRoof were able to provide Euroclass B Fire Rated Timber Battens for the project, that the Architect approved. The substantial order was therefore awarded to SR Timber and fulfilled by SIG Roofing who supplied all the roofing materials for the project. It contained 3700 linear metres of BS 5534 graded 25mm x 50mm Fire Retardant Treated (FRT) batten and approximately a similar quantity of 50mm x 50mm counter batten specially produced and graded to BS 4978, also Fire Retardant Treated (FRT).

The special order required SR Timber to supply its usual high-quality graded roofing batten, completed with an additional process. Instead of undergoing its usual water-based treatment to produce its trademarked Premium Gold batten, each piece is monitored for its moisture content and given a fire retardant treatment.

The completed special order was then delivered to their customer SIG Roofing’s Kentish Town branch. The SIG Roofing branch held stock to allow easy call off from branch and it had an additional stock holding area closer to the site.

All roofing materials had to be carefully craned on site, as part of a detailed logistics programme. The work was taking place in a busy area of the West End with limited access and two flagship retail stores that needed to remain open. Due to the tight schedule, all 28,000 roof slates were stored on top of the building for weeks before installation.

“We were delighted to be able to supply our batten for this prestigious development. It is a testament to our reputation as a supplier of quality timber batten for the UK market. The additional FRT process is also something very few other batten suppliers now offer as it requires a graded batten that hits the correct moisture content to be even considered.” Said Shaun Revill, Trading Director at SR Timber.

More details on this stunning project at https://accuroof.co.uk/article/lucent-w1-how-the-complex-roof-was-built/