Bauder Building Board

The specification

The client required a system that would last in excess of 35 years with a comprehensive guarantee covering products, workmanship & design. A relationship with the client was built up over time and Bauder proved at the technical interview stage that we could provide the best solution and had the technical expertise to support the project. It was also demonstrated that our site monitoring would provide the comfort and peace of mind the client required.

Project challenges

There was a tight site programme that could not be altered due to M&E equipment shutdown times. Daily targets were set and monitored at weekly meetings to ensure the project stayed on track and on occasions extra workforce was drafted in when necessary to keep to this schedule.

Fortnightly meetings and weekly reports were carried out to ensure the highest levels of safety were implemented on the project. The workforce was encouraged to report anything they felt needed to be reviewed before carrying out the works. During the extremely hot weather the workforce had extra break times introduced and received a special talk on keeping hydrated. An endless supply of fresh chilled bottled water was distributed to all the workforce on this project.

To ensure minimal disruption when plant was decommissioned, disconnected and raised to allow for new roof level prior to reconnecting and recommissioning, Bauder & Marshall Construction worked in conjunction with the M&E contractor. A challenging area under the plant gantry where there was less that 900mm head room and multiple pipes and cable ducts required careful manoeuvring.

Each installing squad had a trainee operative with them for a minimum of 2 days a week to help them gain the knowledge they will require for future projects. Operatives on a provisional Bauder card at the start of the project were monitored by Bauder during each visit and this resulted in three operatives gaining a full badge at the end of the project for bituminous system installation. Labourers were trained in the use of the goods hoist with a certificate issued to each of them. Special installation tools supplied by Bauder were distributed to each squad to ensure they had the correct equipment for installing the system. One operative made a few adjustments to the weighted lap roller to allow him to easily install in the area with limited head room. The Bauder site technician was so impressed that he shared this innovation with colleagues if they encounter similar challenges.

The result

This project was set up by the contractor so that material was unloaded at ground level, transported to roof level via hoist and distributed to the various areas of roof by a workforce consisting of six labourers to continually feed the three squads of Bauder badged and trained operatives with the material they required at each stage of the installation. Everyone on the project was working to the same goal every day to achieve the agreed result. Project tracking was critical and was positively reinforced every day in various approaches from morning huddles to small rewards on a Friday. Special lifting gantries were deployed on the roof to lift the various items of plant to allow the new roof insulation and waterproofing to be installed before the plant was lowered into position.

Quality was maintained by ensuring the operatives had the correct mindset every day. Squad foremen would constantly monitor the installation along with the site manager and Bauder’s own Site Technicians and Area Technical Manager who carried out unannounced inspections. Everyone discussed and shared best practice for installation and best solutions for detailing. Overall, the measures in place from day one to the final day ensured quality was maintained throughout the project. 

The client on this project was delighted and has since asked that we look at providing our unique PV solution, BauderSOLAR, for this project. On completion, the Building Surveyor arranged for an end of project get together to celebrate the carefully executed work of everyone in the different teams which resulted in such a successful job. He claimed that it was the best large roofing project he had ever been involved in and hopes any future roofing works he is involved in go as well.

System installed

Bauder Total Roof System (BTRS)