This was a 8000 m2 roof replacement project. Of which 5000m2 was asbestos.

In an extremely busy retail environment, we removed and replaced the asbestos and steel roofs, whilst the Centre and other tenants / retailers continued to operate beneath the work operations.

An Independent QS and project Management company, MHS Consulting was appointed to manage the contract on behalf of the building owners.

Additional scopes / services on the project included:

● Installation of additional purlins
● Structural steel repair and Installation of new structural components
● Removal of existing polystyrene insulation
● Removal of existing ceilings
● Insulation installation
● Box and valley gutter replacement
● Waterproofing scopes
● Painting of existing steel side cladding
● Removal and replacement of steel roofs and side cladding
● Removal of un-needed aircon ducting / steelwork / strapping / cables
● Installation of bespoke gutter outlet cover (designed by R&D)
● Painting of existing steel bullnose side cladding
● Design, manufacture and installation of additional small steel canopies
● Torch-on waterproofing on flat Concrete areas

Safety systems:

● We erected movable timber walkway systems, with low voltage lighting, over the asbestos sheeting,
with temporary lifelines to access the various asbestos portions on the roof
● We installed netting systems where possible as an additional safety feature
● Helmet mounted low voltage lights were fitted to workers PPE
● An independent Safety Company was appointed to monitor R&D Contracting (Approval and sign offs
achieved – All audits achieved required standards )
● Aircheck were appointed as the A.A.I.A (full compliance achieved)

Method and Approach:

The asbestos replacement work was performed at night. minimising the risk to shoppers and store operators
We also ran day shift teams, which prepared areas and materials for the night shift teams, as well as
executing scopes that would pose no risk to shoppers
Our approach was to tackle small increments nightly. Remove the asbestos per bay, perform the required
additional painting and repair scopes, and replace the sheeting within the same shift, thus negating the risk
of exposing unclosed areas to the weather elements.

Specifications:

Roof sheeting – AZ200 0.53mm Concealed fix roofing system
Insulation – 75mm Factory light Black with Black straining wire
Additional purlins – Various girths 3mm and 2.5mm CRLC and CRZC
Flashings – AZ200 0.8mm Colourplus
Side Cladding – AZ200 0.53mm Colourplus IBR
Gutters – Various girths up to 1100mm 3mm Galvanized – bespoke manufacture
Waterproofing – Sikalastic 560 with reinforced fiber matting
Painting of steel substructure – Clean to remove grime and grease, remove loose and flaking paint, remove
surface corrosion and coat with. 1 coat Jotun Pilot primer. 1 coat Jotun Jota Black top coat

Challenges and solutions:

The shopping center is extremely busy – Work scheduled at night to minimise risk
The Canalit profile asbestos sheeting was heavy and difficult to handle – A Massive Walkway system was
built to enable heavy traffic over asbestos roofs / Extensive manpower used to move and lower sheeting
The existing structure was non uniform and unstable in some sections and the purlin spacing was at 3m
intervals – Additional structural components were added to strengthen and straighten the substructure and
additional purlins were required to meet the engineers and suppliers sheeting specifications
There was a myriad of cables, lighting, firelines and ducting, suspended from the asbestos roof sheeting and
existing structure – This all had to be removed and refixed before the asbestos sheeting could be moved and
the structure painted

The existing insulation was polystyrene and was very messy to remove and had to be disposed of in a
responsible manner – Ground crews worked in conjunction with removal crews to perform housekeeping. The
polystyrene was disposed of at Viola Waste disposal, and was not mixed with general waste
The new sheeting had to be rolled onsite in lengths of up to 41m – Difficult to handle without kinking.
Bespoke roller stands were manufactured to facilitate moving these sheets on and off the roof

Conclusion:

We are proud of the workmanship, quality and safety standard achieved on this difficult and complex project
All roof installations were approved and signed off by the sheeting suppliers
All additional steel installations and structural changes were approved by the engineer
The Project management and QS team from MHS Consulting, signed off and approved all payment
certificates and installations
R&D would like to thank the building owners and all stakeholders for awarding us the contract and meeting
all payment obligations timeously
The project took 24 months to complete and the client did not lose a single trading day! Success!

GALLERY