Phillip Dennis Food

The project involved two buildings:
Cold Storage Building: This building had an asbestos cement roof that had reached the end of its serviceable life, making it unsuitable for PV installations.
Warehouse Building: The warehouse roof was metal, but in poor condition with leaks, especially around the rooflights, and peeling coating that had led to rusting. The gutters were also leaking, posing a risk to the food stock stored inside.

The client requested that the roofing works be completed quickly, allowing them to benefit from the PV system during the summer. Central Group was tasked with providing multiple refurbishment options, carrying out an asbestos survey, and conducting a full design and analysis to ensure a safe and suitable solution.

The removal of the asbestos cement roof presented significant challenges. Our experienced team implemented a thorough safety plan, using safety nets with debris mesh, installed using rope access techniques which allowed us to safely strip of the asbestos material. Additionally, our team had to incorporate new ventilation solutions into the building to improve airflow, using ridge-mounted vents with bird mesh to prevent pest ingress.

Cold Storage Roof: We began by carefully stripping the existing asbestos cement roof coverings. Once exposed, the steel purlins were strengthened to support the new roof system. We then installed a new insulated composite panel metal roof, providing improved thermal performance. Valley gutters were lined with HD Sharman’s Plygene membrane gutter liner, and eaves gutters were replaced with new UPVC gutters. Once the roofing work was completed, we installed a roof-mounted guardrail system to facilitate future maintenance and enhance on-site safety.

Warehouse Roof: To maximise space for the PV system, we overlaid the existing metal roof and rooflights using a bar and bracket system, adding an insulation quilt to meet modern U-value requirements. Valley gutters were lined with Plygene membrane gutter liners, while eaves gutters were replaced with “trimline” metal gutters. Finally, a guardrail system was installed to improve safety during maintenance operations.
With these improvements by our experienced Central team, Philip Dennis Foods now benefits from the electricity generated by their newly installed PV system, as well as enhanced thermal efficiency, resulting in reduced heating bills.