RubberGard EPDM SA membrane used in roof renovation of De Wattenfabriek
The Wattenfabriek building, originally a cotton mill (hence its name in Dutch), was built in 1925. In 1970, the factory doors closed for good and, after changing owners several times, the building became vacant. A few years later, the municipality of Herzele bought the building and the surrounding site with the intention of giving it a multi-purpose use, housing a library, an academy for performing and visual arts, spaces for socio-cultural activities, a local radio and even offices. After being completely transformed in 2010, De Wattenfabriek opened its doors in 2012.
| Project ID | |
|---|---|
| Location | Herzele, Belgium |
| Project type | Renovation |
| Building type | Mixed-use building |
| Roof surface | 600 m² |
| Product used | RubberGard EPDM SA 1.5 mm |
| System used | Fully adhered |
Beginning of 2020, a heavy storm damaged a large part of the highest roof of the building. The roof was temporary ballasted to cope with the damage, but it was in urgent need of renovation.
As the building was going to remain occupied during the renovation works, one of the main requirements was to limit nuisance. Therefore, the project needed an easy to install roofing material which could be installed at high speed.
Elevate' new RubberGard EPDM SA roofing membrane was chosen for this project because of its high-performance characteristics and its speed of installation. RubberGard EPDM SA is a self-adhered membrane which does not require bonding adhesives to be applied on site. Its exclusive Secure Bond technology guarantees a strong and durable adhesion to the substrate. This significantly speeds up installation, which can be done 2.5 times faster than with a traditional EPDM fully adhered system.
The fact that there is no need to apply bonding adhesives onsite also means no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and no odor, which is very important for buildings that remain occupied and operational during works.
As the existing roofing membrane was severely damaged after the storm, the first step was to cover the roof with Elevate’ ISOGARD HD cover board to provide a stable support for the RubberGard EPDM SA membrane.
We provided extensive support for this project, carrying out the necessary wind uplift calculation (calculating the wind pressures and the number of fixations needed for the ISOGARD HD cover board) and providing the layout plan for the new RubberGard EPDM SA membrane. Elevate’s Benelux sales team also carried out a follow-up with the technicians during the installation to ensure the works were done according to Elevate’ Technical Guidelines and specifications.
