Safety becomes second nature with Rock’s new programme

All organisations in the construction industry are keen to declare their commitment to SHEQ – safety, health, environment and quality. Not surprisingly, as these issue are business critical to the growth and prosperity of any company.

Rock, however, are particularly active in nurturing a fresh mindset with regard to safety. It involves a programme where fundamental engagement and attitudinal change principles link directly to issues surrounding SHEQ.

Last year, we brought news of our involvement with Dramanon, a leading provider of drama-based training with a focus on health and safety. Since then, our people have been enrolled in a programme run by Costain which aims to deliver a step-change in safety culture.

Inspired by the way our business partners Costain and Mace have tackled SHEQ, Rock has made plans to roll out its own internal programme. A number of our people are currently undergoing training so that they, in turn, may offer instruction and conduct workshops to provide a foundation for continually improving health and safety management through behavioural change.

Specialist traditional finishes for heritage-sensitive sites

Rock’s core products remain waterproofing and renewable energy systems. Yet main contractors and specifiers are clearly aware that there are many more strings to our bow. Traditional roof finishes continue to be an essential part of our business. As a result, we find ourselves appointed to work on the restoration of a growing number of historical and landmark projects.

These include Café Royal near Piccadilly Circus, the prestigious Fenwick department store in Bond Street and the refurbishment of 49 Park Lane in Mayfair. In addition, we have worked with Laing O’Rourke on the new City of Westminster Courts, a flagship development in a highly sensitive location within the Portman Estate Conservation Area, and with Mace on 5 Hanover Square, surrounded by the neighbouring listed buildings of the Mayfair Conservation Area.

Traditional roof materials employed on these projects include slate, tile, lead, copper, stainless steel and zinc. The painstaking installation methods of our skilled craftsmen ensure that the quality of work is never less than exceptional. Rock is delighted to be associated with historical projects, or those located in heritage-sensitive sites, helping revive their splendour with our quality materials and the consistently high standards of our professional artisans.

Rock pledges direct access to our most senior people

When working with Rock there is a named team of professional staff to support you, both on site and from our offices. All are empowered to make decisions swiftly to keep the project on schedule. However, there may be times when a client wishes to speak to one of our most senior managers. In such cases, any of Rock’s key decision-makers are keen to make themselves available as quickly as possible. That is something our clients tell us they value, and is not as commonplace as it might be throughout our industry.
“As a leader in our market, Rock is a sizeable company,” says John Walsh, our managing director, “but we’ve always consciously shunned the needlessly complex internal structure that characterises some organisations. If one of our clients has a question, they won’t find themselves having to navigate a tortuous hierarchy of people before they get a straight answer. In situations where I am the person most qualified to make a decision, I want everyone to know that they are welcome to consult me personally.”
Growing out of this policy of direct communication, Rock is to launch a simple feedback survey at the end of our involvement on each project. This is in response to the marketplace, which increasingly demands that an accurate picture be captured of the work of each contractor on the day of its completion.

Look out, and look up, for green walls

At Rock, we’re tireless in our search for innovative finishes that perform excellently in ways not related solely to the waterproofing of roofs. That’s why we are particularly excited about our recent dealings with Den Ouden Export, a Dutch company specialising in the supply of plant screen cladding. For over 15 years the business has been heavily involved in the development of green ‘living walls’, a pre-grown, vertical system which can be easily applied in practically any place, requires little maintenance and satisfies many environmental aspirations.

We have seen for ourselves how important it can be to combine engineering proficiency, horticultural expertise and a flair for design to create a product that appeals strongly to our clients’ love of innovation. Whether employed as attractive vertical courtyards, vegetated partition walls or green noise barriers, this is a system we believe will enhance many projects in the UK market. Rock are delighted to be able to deliver this new product range.

Rock lays claim to the Square Mile’s largest green roof

Each month we update this website with case studies which illustrate Rock’s impressive range of  waterproofing systems, traditional roofing skills and renewable energy technology. It’s a year since we added Cannon Place to the Infrastructure section of our Project Gallery, but we’re throwing the spotlight once again on this landmark building in the heart of London’s financial district. The reason? We have learnt that its green roof, which was delivered by Rock, is now recognised as the largest in the City.
But size isn’t everything. It’s great to be the leader in terms of scale, but Rock places just as much importance on retaining the top spot in terms of the quality of our design and installation.

Cannon Place is a mixed use scheme on a brownfield site above a major transport interchange. Its environmental impact was always a key consideration for Hines, the developer. As a result, main contractor Laing O’Rourke appointed Rock to deliver an inverted waterproofing system combined with an extensive green roof. To help mitigate the urban heat island effect and encourage the biodiversity of the City’s environment, Rock created a sedum blanket roof which could be home to indigenous herbs, grasses and wildlife.

Today, Rock is undertaking another large-scale bio-diverse roof, this time for Westfield Stratford City adjacent to the site of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Covering an area of 10,000 sq m, this ecological brown roof will provide a habitat to support flora and fauna and reduce rainwater run-off. It’s the latest example of why so many clients trust Rock to design, supply and install even the largest and most complex bio-diverse roof systems.

Rock Wins Full Marks For Tackling Deflections

Roof waterproofing specialist Rock was called in to provide technical and practical support on a major schools building project – par for the course for a market-leader, but it was unaware that it would end up solving a testing industry issue at the same time.

When a major contractor was commissioned to rejuvenate and rebuild over 20 schools in the North West it turned to 40-year roofing veteran Rock to install traditional inverted roofs on the first two projects to get the green light. With both buildings set to open for the new term in September - and construction being managed on existing school sites close to residential areas - it was vital that the project was safely managed within tight timescales. Cost-effectiveness and client satisfaction were of course also key.

With large expanses of flat roofing to cover – and energy efficiency as well as waterproofing a core client demand – the kit specified was Rock’s Flexiphalte triple protection system, a fully bonded high performance waterproofing system combining three core elements: a high performance membrane, overlain by durable Flexiphalte Pommar polymer modified mastic asphalt and covered with a 180mm thick layer of ROOFMATE SL-A insulation from Dow Building Solutions. The system was covered with ballast and paving slabs to produce a standard inverted roof finish.

“We recommended Flexiphalte triple protection for this job because we believe it gives a level of protection that cannot be matched by any other type of roofing system or membrane, giving “lifetime” performance equal to the substrate upon which it is laid,” said Mike Goddard, Rock’s Construction Director. “We felt ROOFMATE SL-A was the right insulation choice because it’s readily available, robust with a high compressive strength, easy to work with and we’ve seen its long-term performance first-hand.”

However, it was prior to installing the ROOFMATE insulation that Rock, in collaboration with the lead contractor, wanted to ensure adequate drainage - without having to resort to the cost of laying additional screed on what had already been designed as a ‘zero pitch’ roof.

Although BS 6229:2003 recommends that an appropriate fall be accommodated on roof designs where there are continuously supported coverings, the British Board of Agrément (BBA)’s Information Bulletin No.4 acknowledges zero pitch roofs, emphasising the need to ensure drainage is sufficient and effective. Both designs are considered correct practice as long as drainage is adequate – but for zero pitch roofs this means any possibility of deflections must be designed-out in order to ensure water will not pond on the roof.

With a project already running to tight timescales and within strict cost limitations, the estimated six figure additional cost associated with adding screed and potentially raising parapet height was not an option. Rock’s solution was to carefully survey the roof for deflections and add additional Flexiphalte Pommar asphalt to potential problem areas, enabling a completely flat finish and ensuring water would run off to drainage outlets already specified and installed.

“The additional asphalt fuses entirely with the existing layer meaning we can still provide a fully-bonded system - but with no deflections,” continued Mike. “We’ve developed a solution that can either be built in at design stage where a zero pitch roof is favoured for cost reasons, or as a retrofit solution if deflections need to be addressed once the asphalt waterproofing has been completed.”

“This project was a great example of a main contractor, specialist roofer and materials supplier coming together to develop a solution for the ultimate benefit of the client,” said Richard Powell, Roofing Manager for Dow Building Solutions. “It’s thanks to that positive approach that the industry has found a method of addressing deflections in a cost-effective way based on existing, proven solutions.”

For more information about how Rock’s Flexiphalte triple protection system can be used to help prevent deflections and information about Rock’s other roofing solutions, visit http://www.wearerock.co.uk/. For product and stockist information on ROOFMATE SL-A visit www.styrofoam.co.uk or email below.

Note: JPA Technical Literature has produced a paper entitled “A review of recent guidance on inverted roof construction” which summarises European Technical Approval Guidance 031 (ETAG 031) on inverted roofs and BBA Information Bulletin No. 4. To download a copy visit the Dow Building Solutions website at www.styrofoam.co.uk.