Standing
seam metal roofing roof flashing
Kalzip helps the RAF go bold in the cold
Kalzip’s “consistently high quality
technical advice” and product “flexibility” have helped Feilden
Clegg Bradley Architects stun visitors to the world’s first
permanent exhibition on cold war aviation and win a RIBA (West
Midlands) Award 2007 in the process.
The new £11 million National Cold War Exhibition at RAF Museum
Cosford in Shropshire uses 10,000 m² of Kalzip’s aluminium
standing seam system to clad the curvilinear roof and sections
of the elevations. But that is putting it simply.
For the building comprises two triangular volumes that rise to
30 metres, creating a 130 metre-long fault line along their
adjoining edges. These two opposing volumes provide a physical
representation of the two forces locked in the cold war. The
triangular volumes gracefully twist along their length,
tempering the huge volume of the building.
The designers have more than met the brief for a landmark
building that would raise the museum’s profile and house its
collection of rare and unique aircraft with wingspans stretching
up to 50 metres.
The smooth lines of the aluminium standing seam roof dominate
the sculptural form of the building exterior that also features
exposed concrete, block work walls and black timber joinery. The
palette of materials was chosen to reflect a simple and strong
statement through a combination of large enclosure, dramatic
gesture and appropriate technology to produce an environmentally
and sustainable solution.
The 6,200 m² display hall, in which the aircraft are suspended
from the central spine, is humidity controlled to preserve the
airframes, through controlled natural ventilation, low level
conservation heating, exposed thermal mass and a heavily
insulated, vapour controlled roof. This solution was adopted as
energy efficient and cost effective when compared against energy
intensive air conditioning.
The roof system – standard Kalzip stucco embossed 65/400
standing seam on a structural metal deck – had to follow the
ever changing pitch of the structural steel members which swing
out from the vertical spine wall to 30º angles at the other ends
in shapes technically described as hyperbolic paraboloids.
These shapes became extremely familiar to the roofing
contractors, Kalzip approved Teamkal members WWR (UK), who had
to train their workforce to abseil for the five months of the
installation. The spine walls were clad from mast climbers.
WWR was involved in the 18 month roofing project from the design
stage and this included assembling a full size, nine metre bay
mock up on the RAF base.
Sales director Stephen Walker said: “Kalzip was really the only
material that would achieve the ever changing pitch without
crimping along the axis. Standard Kalzip sheets were twisted
along their length to achieve the specific requirements of the
architects.”
Sam Tyler of Feilden Clegg Bradley added: “Kalzip standing seam
plays a critical role in the aesthetic of the building. It clads
the greatest part of the roof and elevations which define the
curvilinear form of the building.
“Kalzip provided consistently high quality technical advice that
assisted the design team in progressing the project. The
aluminium standing seam provided the flexibility we required to
achieve the curvature of the building using an off the shelf
product.
“The setting out of the Kalzip defined the size and requirements
of the custom flashings throughout the project which were used
to provide clean interfaces with glazed and gable end fabric
walls.
Email: tracy@tlcpr.co.uk