It’s time to take the roof off!

40 Portman Square sits in the prestigious London location of Marylebone. The building consisting of a number of apartments, terraces and offices over 6 floors; houses some of countries leading investment fund managers and due to the sensitivity of operations within the building it was decided that a fully encapsulated temporary roof be erected over the structure to allow the roof refurbishment to take place.

The existing inverted roof was suffering from water penetration and saturated insulation. The project involved removing the existing failed roof system and replacing with a fully insulated Triflex Protect System; providing a 20-year waterproofing warranty.

The temporary roof designed on rails could be erected in sections and slid the length of the building to form a protective canopy. Existing window cleaning equipment had to be dismantled to allow for temporary roof construction and a fully vent extraction system installed to deal with temperatures within the canopy.

“It was imperative that the building remained watertight through the whole refurbishment so as not to affect any of the tenants’ activities. Scaffolding had to be specially designed to ensure both weight and loadings could be accommodated by the building.

Andrei Radu, Makers Site Manager

“Every square inch of roof seems to be covered in plant, making the roof replacement a slow and complex operation. The temporary roof allowed works to continue during some of the wettest weather the UK has experienced.”

On completion of the refurbishment works, the temporary roof was dismantled in sections, sliding towards one end of the building. The sliding rail design allowed for quicker erection and dismantling in what was a very confined area.

The project had many operational challenges from material movements to waste disposal. Being a landlocked site Makers built welfare accommodation in the parking basement and operated under restricted access due to the operations within the building”

William McCrimmon, Regional Construction Director

“Makers responded sensitively to this very complex situation, clear communication, and proactive approach meant client issues were kept to a minimum and we have been very impressed with their attitude and innovation to problem solving.

Workman CA

For more information on this project please visit our case study Portman Square London