Icopal Ensures A Healthy Environment

A new roof on part of the clinical zone of the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent, by the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, has the power to actively cleanse harmful nitrogen oxides from 104m³ of polluted air, the equivalent of four cars travelling an average of 15,000 miles every year. The dynamic de-polluting properties of the hospital’s roof are the result of some 2,000m² of Icopal’s groundbreaking Noxite roofing membrane, which was specified by Neaves Perry Architects and the Hospital Estates Department and installed by Byford Roofing for main contractor Limen Construction Ltd.

Phase one of the roof project started in April and was completed in less than six weeks. Byford Roofing will also install Noxite^® on phases two and three of the project, which involves the replacement of an old standing seam metal roof that has started to fail.

Roger Neaves from Neaves Perry Architects selected the Noxite^® membrane, to be installed over a new metal deck and Icopal’s vapour control layer, Thermazone Roof Board. 

Noxite^® from Icopal is part of its Eco-Active range of building protection systems. Noxite^® is a flexible roof waterproofing membrane manufactured with recycled bitumen content, which is then coated with a granular titanium dioxide finish. This coating works actively with the surrounding environment to transform harmful nitrogen oxides into harmless nitrates.

The Noxite^® technology is activated by ultraviolet radiation from the sun. When polluted air around the hospital passes over the activated Noxite^® membrane, the nitrogen oxide particles will be converted into nitrates, which can then be washed away by falling rainwater.

A highly effective means of reducing the environmental impact of a hospital building, Noxite® will continue to work for the entire life of the roof membrane and can neutralise up to 52 million m³ of polluted air annually when installed on a roof measuring around 1,000m².

Architect Roger Neaves required an aesthetically viable roof covering that could be installed swiftly and would provide a long-lasting, low maintenance finish.

“A flexible membrane was specified to achieve a high quality finish, with excellent performance characteristics,” explains Roger, “The cost and time efficiency of a membrane, over simply replacing the original standing seam roof, made this a much more attractive specification option for the NHS Trust too.”

Alex Matson, Technical Sales Manager at Icopal was keen to raise the architect’s awareness of the additional environmental benefits that a product like Noxite could bring to the project:

“Hospitals are among the many public buildings which have an important role to play in minimising their environmental impact. While Noxite is a flexible membrane that provides an aesthetic finish that can be installed relatively swiftly and cost effectively, its uniquely proactive environmental performance also means it is ideal for buildings where there is a demand for the organisation to be seen to take effective steps to becoming more environmentally friendly. The result of a roof installed with Noxite is the removal of harmful greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.”

It has taken a team of just three to five men from Byford Roofing to install phase one of the new roof, working non-stop under a temporary protective weather canopy. Lee Brown, Byford Roofing’s Site Foreman has a lot of experience with Icopal’s torch-on flexible roofing membranes and vapour control layers, but had not used Noxite before.

“It has been fast to install,” Lee explains, “As it goes down, using torch-on application, you get a nice bead to the sides and we’ve been able to achieve the highest level of detailing around box gutters and edging. I am very impressed with the finish.”

Icopal is the world reference in building protection. Through its comprehensive technical support and deep expertise in roof coverings, Icopal will ensure that the right roofing finish is specified with the right roofing system to fulfil the design and performance criteria of the building.