Fulham Jetty Becomes Haven for Wildlife After Bauder Green Retrofit

Fulham Wharf is a landmark regeneration scheme that began in 2013. Included within the approved scheme was the ecological enhancement of an abandoned jetty located on the River Thames, which had been left derelict for over 40 years. The development of this ground-breaking new jetty was designed to provide the local community with an ecological education centre together with a bio-diverse wildlife reserve.

Prior to work commencing on site the project team reviewed the structural adequacy of the existing 1,000m² concrete jetty with a specialist marine engineering firm and subsequently decided that the jetty would need strengthening to support the new building’s columns. The roof of the new building swoops down to become a continuum with the jetty deck and is covered with a green habitat to provide three distinct environments for wildlife, one on the flat roof, one on the slope and the third on the jetty deck.

The flat roof located above the education centre was waterproofed with Bauder’s premium quality reinforced root resistant bitumen membrane before then having their patented sedum blanket installed. On the lower roof 650m² of the Bauder Bakor hot melt structural waterproofing was fitted along with a Bauder wildflower blanket, providing an instant carpet of vegetation.

One of the major challenges for this roof was installing the central sloped section, which required a lot of technical input and exceptional levels of workmanship from roofing contractor Accurate Roofing. This roofing area was waterproofed with the same bituminous green roof system as the upper roof, however a special timber design for retaining the substrate and sedum blanket was also needed.

Despite the challenges faced throughout the project the work at Fulham Jetty was completed on time and to budget in October 2013, providing the client with an innovative roof that boasts extraordinary environmental credentials.
 

Jamie Newborn, lead architect for the project from Fabrik Ltd, stated his delight with the finished project, “Long-term building function and sustainability were key to the architectural vision at Fulham Jetty and the roof served as an integral part of this aim. It stands as a prime example of green roofing, a benchmark for best practice and demonstrates a way of helping the city embrace and encourage its environment and wildlife. The project encountered numerous challenges but they were all solved promptly and efficiently by Bauder who deserve every accolade for this complex project, which they wholeheartedly embraced.”