Company: D Shawcross
Project: Canon Burrows Primary School
Materials used: Rootbar underlay and Rootbar capsheet, perimeter and intermediaterestraint strips, filter fleece, Fynotop drainage boards, sedum growing medium, sedum plant
Canon Burrows Primary School near Wigan in Lancashire is the first such school in the UK to win the coveted ECO Green Flag award.
It has been at the forefront of the green movement for many years, priding itself on its environmentally-friendly design and grey water recycling scheme. The green roof was designed to be the centre piece of the new classroom extension block as well as providing an eco-friendly case study for the students.
The double roof pitch of 35º was always going to be a green roof challenge but the use of intermediate and edge restraint strips ensured the sedum system would be secure, even in a wind-prone environment.
Special consideration had to be given to loading the system onto the roof, with D Shawcross adopting appropriate weight distribution on each side of the ridge to give equal loadings at any one time.
As the project was carried out during a prolonged hot spell, irrigation for the first 10 weeks was vital and to this end D Shawcross specified a 'leaky pipe' and sprinkler arrangement to the ridge cap that kept the sedum blanket damp throughout its early growing period.
The school remained operational during construction last summer while restricted access on the main Oldham to Ashton road meant deliveries had to be offloaded before 7am to ensure pedestrian safety.