A brand new school on the outskirts of Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk was built to accommodate 1,600 students. The project was designed and managed by Concertus Design & Property Consultants on behalf of Suffolk County Council, who wanted the school to act as a benchmark for sustainability with the building’s roofs playing an integral part in achieving this through the inclusion of solar panels.

Products applied

BauderSOLAR:

An innovative photovoltaic system that does not require any drilling of the deck or ballast to install the substructures and modules.

Bauderflex:

Two layer, self adhered, warm roof, bitumen membrane waterproofing system.

The result

Working closely with the architect and the client, Bauder developed a bespoke specification package that was designed to maximise the solar output from the available roof space and satisfy all relevant local planning conditions. Four buildings on the school’s campus were waterproofed with over 5,000m2 of Bauder’s reinforced bitumen system, Bauderflex, by approved installer GRM Roofing, before having 313 PV modules fitted by Chelsfield Solar; enabling the client to generate at least 74.32 Megawatt Hours of solar power each year.

Bauderflex bituminous waterproofing system with BauderSOLAR

Advocacy

The Specifier and Project Manager, Paul Denton, stated:

"Bauder’s comprehensive system portfolio of waterproofing and solar solutions made the specification process straightforward, as we were able to select an integrated roof and PV system that could be delivered from a single source supplier. Having an all inclusive guarantee was another key driver for the client and it has provided them with complete confidence in the roof’s future performance. Bauder went above and beyond its duty throughout, assisting further down the supplier chain to ensure an integrated and fully collaborative programme. Since completion, we are now looking for other opportunities to implement solar elsewhere on the school’s campus."

The PV Installer, Adrian Clayton, explained:

"Our job is made a lot easier by other parties involved in delivering a project. Being a Bauder approved installer we know that we will be supplied with all the relevant design information throughout and that the workmanship of the roofing will be of the highest quality when we arrive on site. These logistical elements and quality expectations are crucial on a project like this where rigorous deadlines have been set. The solar installation was simplified by the fixing method used for the PV system, which involves a nonpenetrative membrane-to-membrane bonding technique. This highly effective and time efficient method meant that the entire array could be fitted on the two school buildings in under three days, saving the client valuable time and money."