Sika Sarnafil’s single-ply roofing membrane has been installed on the UK’s first dedicated centre for stroke and dementia research at the University of Oxford, providing a long-lasting waterproofing solution for the impressive building.
The Wolfson Building is situated on the University’s John Radcliffe Hospital site and provides purpose-built facilities for the Wolfson Centre for the Prevention of Stroke and Dementia (CPSD), as well as research space for the Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN).
Offering expansive views of the city and its surroundings, the new neuroscience research building’s H-shaped floor plan was designed to symbolise the two departments’ collaborative relationship.
And, when it came to the roof, the facility required a robust and fully-integrated waterproofing system that would accommodate roof penetrations, walkway, and PV requirements.
Sika Sarnafil was specifically requested for the project by the University of Oxford and came on board during the early design stages to help Oxford-based architectural firm, fjmt, with the specification.
Sarnafil’s single-ply membrane has been used across many of the university’s existing buildings, including the Department of Chemistry’s new teaching laboratories.
Sarnafil G410 12 ELF in Lead Grey, along with Sarnavap HD, were chosen to weathertight the concrete slab room.
Due to an uneven and rough surface, a system had to be specified that would overcome this problem.
Roofing contractor Vertec liaised with Sika Sarnafil and opted to mechanically fix the single ply to overcome this.
Further challenges were found due to the multiple penetrations in the roof, numbering over 50, including cables, pipework and ducting.
Opting to box them in, all penetrations were then successfully sealed by Vertec’s Sika Sarnafil-trained installers.