July 2006 

Ward Insulated Panels has teamed up with roofing contractors Cladanco Ltd to supply and install 1,000m² of Ward Topdek - the all-in-one single ply insulated roof panel system - on the new Porsche Dealership at Cheshire Oaks near Chester.

Ward Topdek is a factory pre-engineered composite roof panel that facilitates faster onsite assembly. It comprises a proven high performance single-ply PVC outer membrane integrally bonded to a Firesafe rigid PIR insulation core, approved to LPBC standards and a steel trapezoidal profile inner deck to provide structural strength.

As an all-in-one single ply roofing solution, Topdek replaces the individual processes of laying steel decking, vapour control layer, insulation and outer membrane with one simple installation, which compared to traditional built up roofing systems, is proving to be up to 50% faster to install. A new self-coring screw - unique to Topdek - speeds the installation process even further. Conventional fixing required a core of insulation to be removed, a self-tapping screw to be fixed then the core replaced prior to the welding of the side-lap. Now, in one simple operation, the self-coring screw replaces all of these three stages.

Kevin Conlon, Director of the Architects behind the project, The Motor Design Group, states: "We specified Topdek for this reason in addition to the roof panel's guaranteed thermal performance and excellent air leakage qualities."

Gary March, managing director of Cladanco Ltd, comments: "The speed of installation on this project was remarkable. The use of the SFS self-coring fastener is thought to have saved almost one third of the installation time, considerably reducing labour costs meaning the project was completed on schedule and to budget."