South Lodge

Bauder Total Green Roof System (BTGRS)

Synopsis

South Lodge is an award-winning luxury hotel in Sussex with breath-taking views of the South Downs.  The client intended for the new spa building to blend in with the surrounding parkland. Bauder achieved this by specifying a wildflower, biodiverse roof. This consisted of a substrate-based system with Bauder WB native wildflower blanket. The blanket is a mix of British native plants which mirror the surrounding meadows, providing valuable ecological habitats for a mixture of wildlife.

Bauder Building Board

Project:	South Lodge
Location:	Horsham
Roof Size:	1750m²
Architect:	Felce & Guy Partnership
Main Contractor:	A N Construction Solutions Ltd
Approved Contractor:	Industrial Construction Ltd

The specification

The main roof area utilised the Bauder Total Green Roof System (BTGRS). This popular two-layer bitumen waterproofing system comprises SBS modified elastomeric underlayer and waterproofing cap sheet which gives superior performance. In this case, the Bauder Plant E capping sheet was used. This is proven to give long-term root resistance, protecting the roof and has been tested against the FLL’s stringent requirements. It was particularly important to protect the integrity of the waterproofing on the spa roof because of the potential for aggressive roots to damage the membrane.
 
The biodiverse element of the roof at South Lodge spa was supplied by Bauder’s native wildflower Blanket. This vegetation blanket contains a broad mix of British wildflowers which flourish depending on the geographical location of the project. In Horsham, some of the key species to establish were Oxeye Daisy, Bird’s-foot trefoil, Viper’s-bugloss and Yarrow.

 

Project challenges

The unique deck of the new spa building presented a challenge to the installers fitting the green roof. With an incline of up to 24⁰ on one section of the plywood deck, the operatives needed a solution that would keep the substrate and vegetation in place. To overcome this challenge, timber struts were fixed to the plywood deck which were waterproofed to form a sound waterproof deck. Over this, a reservoir drainage board was laid and filled with biodiverse substrate. An additional trellis was braced against the struts sitting within the substrate to keep the biodiverse substrate in place. The contractors then laid the wildflower blanket and irrigation drip lines over the substrate.



To ensure safe access during the installation and after, for ongoing maintenance, a permanent fall arrest system was installed by Latchways.Bauder will continue to work with the hotel management team to maintain the roof. Post installation, Access Irrigation Ltd fitted a dripline irrigation system including a break tank pump and controller to regulate amounts of water distributed, removing the need for human intervention once set up. Bauder site technicians have carried out several inspections to ensure the roof is thriving. The view from the main hotel is now of a wildflower meadow featuring plant species native to the surrounding area.

 

System installed

Bauder Total Green Roof System (BTGRS)

1 BauderPLANT E 42	A heavy duty, torch-applied, SBS elastomeric bitumen capping sheet. The product features chemically treated bitumen to deliver superior root resistance which has been tested and approved by the FLL.
2 BauderTEC KSA DUO	A technically advanced, self-adhesive elastomeric bitumen underlayer with DUO lap technology and glass lattice reinforcement.
3 BauderPIR FA-TE	A rigid urethane foam insulation faced on both sides with aluminium foil. PIR FA-TE was used to provide lightweight, thermal insulation with a 140mm depth used to meet the required U-value.
4 BauderTHERM DS 1 DUO	A technically advanced self-adhesive SBS elastomeric bitumen underlayer with “DUO” lap technology to ensure thorough sealing of lap joints. This underlayer benefits from self-adhesive stripes which makes for a speedy installation.