04/05/2012
The Field Centre, a place for practical and academic teaching, learning and research, has recently been installed with Icopal’s Universal and Green Roof system. Set within the middle of a biodynamic farm in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, the educational centre is part of the Ruskin Mill Trust, a charity delivering special needs education for nearly 30 years. The green roof system from Icopal was selected to ensure the building sat comfortably within its rural landscape.
Tucked away in the Cotswold Hills, the Field Centre provides a vast array of local, national and international educational opportunities. Ruskin Mill Trust works within the fields of Therapeutic Education, Biodynamic Agriculture and Health and offers training to practitioners and teachers from around the world, in partnership with the Crossfields Institute. The trust’s main objective is to advance the education of people with learning difficulties or behavioral problems through art, crafts, agriculture and environmental sciences. The new MSc programme, which launches in the autumn, will train practitioners from America, UK, and the Middle East.
With the aesthetics and design of the building significantly important, Ruskin Mill aimed to encapsulate the location, history and their relationship with the natural habitat into the architectural design. The building, which celebrates the geometry of the human form, soul and sprit, is designed in a cupola formation. The sacred geometry incorporated into the construction of the build is regularly used in religious structures and sacred spaces.
The Field Centre, set within the beauty of natural surroundings, will incorporate Icopal’s Green Roof system with a Universal lightweight waterproofing membrane to help blend the building into its natural environment. Highlighted for the ability to attract wildlife and improve air quality, the sustainable and eco friendly properties won Icopal’s Green Roof the contract. The distinctive natural-living Green Roof technology, installed using a ballasted system, provided the ideal roofing system for the Field Centre.
Using a lightweight Green Roof system can extend the life of a roof and reduce building costs. The fully waterproof system, guaranteed for up to 20 years, protects the roof from extreme weather and UV radiation. Furthermore, Green Roofs can reduce sound transmission levels by up to 60%.
Janine Christley, Director of Fundraising at the Ruskin Mill Trust said, “We are extremely pleased with the outcome of Icopal’s Green Roof system, it was important for the new building to fit in with its natural surroundings. Not only does the roof provide a visually attractive element to the building, the ecological aspects are extensive. We can relax knowing great energy savings can be made, which makes it both an economical and ecological investment.”
With the complex green roof approved at the design stage, the shape required a flexible, hardwearing roofing membrane on which to install the green roof substrate and planting. Icopal Universal, a single layer roof covering installed by SPAN Roofing, was selected for its extremely strong, light and flexible nature. At 3.2mm thick, the lightweight waterproofing system, noted for its durability, provides an ideal solution for the detailed roofing design. Ideal for flat or pitched roofs, the stable single layer roof covering is UV resistant and makes the ideal base for a green roof installation too.
John Ramsden from JR Building commented, “With a lifespan of up to 30 years, Icopal’s Universal was selected due to the recyclability of the system, which greatly improves the building’s sustainability. Manufactured from clean raw materials, Icopal Universal demonstrates a highly favorable Life Cycle Assessment and fulfils sustainability standards, which was important for the Ruskin Mill Trust.
Furthermore, with the ability for fast application, Icopal Universal can be mechanically fixed, loose laid or ballasted, ideal for the installation stage. We would particularly like to thank contractor Neil Stamp from SPAN roofing who was extremely helpful.”
In addition, Icopal’s contract supplied the gas and radon barriers for the new build project.
The building work is scheduled for completion in July 2012 after work began on site in April 2011.
