A former bonded whisky warehouse in the heart of Glasgow has seen a phased upgrade to its flat roofs, featuring a number of fully compatible products from the range of Icopal Ltd: including the ecologically advanced Noxite® membrane.

The Pentagon Centre is owned and operated by Bizspace with the 120-year-old building occupying a site beside the M8’s busy Kingston Bridge. Glasgow based Brolly Roofing carried out the re-roofing of the building, starting with a four-month contract spanning 2013-14.  Then the contractor’s latest visit has involved the re-roofing of a lower roof deck area, with the work cumulatively ensuring the guaranteed weather protection of the occupied spaces, energy upgrades and now environmental improvements through the application of Icopal’s Thermaweld and Noxite® capsheets.

Throughout the process, the Pentagon Centre and its consultants have benefited from the comprehensive technical support that Icopal offers, as well as the high standards of workmanship delivered by a leading member of the manufacturer’s installer network. 

Trident Building Consultancy Limited proposed the use of Icopal’s widely acclaimed Noxite® product as the best means of countering the toxic traffic fumes continually being released in the locality. The surveyors duly worked in close cooperation with Icopal and Brolly Roofing to arrive at a specification, which met all the aspirations for the project; and which will significantly reduce the amount of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide (NOx) in the atmosphere over time. 

The lead surveyor for Trident, who managed the project, Andrew Small, commented: “Having seen a CPD presentation from Icopal which covered the benefits of Noxite® in terms of dealing with nitrous oxide pollution, the Pentagon Centre presented an ideal opportunity to trial the material. It really couldn’t be any closer to the main Glasgow to Edinburgh motorway, and when we proposed the use of Noxite® to Bizspace as the owners of the building, they were very keen to adopt it on environmental grounds.”

The business centre’s many clients now enjoy the weather protection of the Icopal systems, while everyone in the locality will gain some protection from the Noxite® membrane’s ability to ‘scrub’ NOx from the air.

Director of Brolly Roofing, George Brolly added: “This latest work by the bridge followed the reroofing of the main, higher level three years ago. We stripped the existing felt back down to the original asphalt and applied Icopal’s torch-on VCL and then 50 mm of Torch-on insulation board.  This was followed by Total Torch VDL – vapour dispersion layer – and then the Noxite® cap-sheet.

“We make extensive use of Icopal products in our work and regularly recommend them to customers, due not only to the quality and value for money, but also the availability of the 20 year warranty, which is the best in the market; and Noxite® is a highly advanced material. This was a tricky project due to the logistics of being right next to the motorway bridge, but it went well and the client was very satisfied with the finished installation.”

Brolly Roofing, which is active across the whole of Scotland and into Northern Ireland, covering flat roofing in all the sectors from commercial through to small domestic, had a four man gang working on the project for a six week period.

The Noxite® cap sheet employed for reroofing the Pentagon Centre is one of the manufacturer’s range of Eco-Activ products developed to provide environmental benefits. The surface granules are coated with titanium dioxide, which acts as a catalyst in the process of changing NOx into harmless nitrate deposits, which are then washed away. The treatment will go on working throughout the life of the roof covering and in no way detracts from its long-term waterproofing performance. 

With many of the UK’s major cities suffering levels of air pollution far above medically recognised safe levels, this has become a hot topic with substantial coverage in the media. As the Government struggles to find affordable answers as traffic congestion continues to grow, Icopal’s Noxite® membranes and other Eco-Activ products offer a workable way of improving air quality in the urban environment.