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 | | SLAB SYSTEMS FOR ROOF LANDSCAPING – STYLE WITH DURABILITY | | | Zoontjens BV | | 03/06/2008 | | | The desire to put flat roofs to practical and sustainable use, mixing green landscaping with amenity areas, has precipitated major, but little known advances in slab system technology. Products are available to accommodate use over decks of varying condition, type, drainage and falls, and combine exceptional strength, dimensional and lateral stability, with the ability to withstand even such extreme stresses as those caused by vehicle turning. Unlike traditional surfaces such as mastic asphalt, which invariably suffer from poor contracting quality, systems such as Zoontjens Pardak are dimensionally stable and unaffected by extremes of weather.
High density concrete slabs can now provide durable, immediately trafficable surfaces with a lasting, decorative finish. With Pardak, water drains through preformed gaps created by slab edge detailing into the building’s existing rainwater outlets. It uses patented pressure distributor and adjustable tensioning elements to allow controlled slab movement and height adjustment. By absorbing and distributing vertical and horizontal forces, loads of up to 35kN can be applied, while tension can be reduced locally to enable slabs to be lifted for access to the substrate.
As a consequence of its design, Pardak is not susceptible to ponding or surface irregularity. Surface water is removed quickly, providing a safe and durable surface for vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Ogilvie Construction used the smaller Pardak 60, in ‘Rustic Sand’ for the design of a new health club and spa at Norton House Hotel, part of the ‘Handpicked Hotels’ group. The design created a landscaped environment, integrating a green roof area with areas of vehicle parking. Slab density and strength enables them to accommodate the weight of features such as concrete planters and benches, while guaranteeing the need for only minimal inspection and maintenance throughout a design life.
The design scope which such modular surfacing can provide led to its use for the central landscaping scheme of Redrow’s ‘Hemisphere’ development in Birmingham. Built by Laing O’Rourke, the 344 one and two bedroom apartments and penthouses, adjacent to Edgbaston cricket ground, scheduled for completion in Spring 2008, incorporated slabs designed to integrate foot and vehicle traffic within a fully landscaped and drained environment.
Such long-term stability and membrane accessibility was also key to the system’s use on projects as diverse as the roof of Heathrow Terminal 5, the concourse at Leicester University, a raised pedestrian walkway at a Tesco store, a rooftop car park in John Lewis’s Newcastle store and a suspended outdoor restaurant area at Beatties department store in Telford.
Smaller Dreen slabs offer the option of either adjustable or fixed height locking discs. On domestic fixed height systems, cut slab edge details are traditionally supported using smaller rubberised pads. But whatever the roof construction, use of such products provides long-term landscaping solutions to projects of immense diversity. Use of such systems is by no means restricted to roofs. Landscaping can be undertaken to link various levels, integrating buildings within areas of natural planting and vehicle access, while providing scope for ease of access to services below. | |
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Pavers , Street furniture , Aggregates , Stonework , Planters , Fencing , Outdoor Lighting , Asphalt , Flat , Pitched , Commercial , Residential , Green , Tiles , Metal , Fascias & Soffits , Offsite Systems
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