A Sarnafil single ply roofing system crowns Scotland’s biggest shopping centre, Silverburn Retail Park in Glasgow.

Completed in late 2007, Silverburn cost £350 million to build and boasts 95 stores and 14 restaurants, and is staffed by some 3,000 employees. In excess of 820,000 square feet of Sarnafil’s single ply roofing system stretches over the one million square feet complex.

Built on the site of the old Pollok shopping centre on Glasgow’s south side, Silverburn’s construction was managed by main contractor, Bovis Lend Lease, which invited Sarnafil registered contractor, Topek Limited, to tender for the installation.

“Bovis Lend Lease asked Topek to partner them in their main contract tender due to our track record in providing a detailed design service pre-contract,” recalls Topek’s technical manager, Scott Biddle. “As a result, Sarnafil was specified because of its lightweight nature and market-leading technical attributes, as well as its cost-effectiveness.”

Approximately 70 percent of Silverburn’s roof was fitted with Sarnafil’s S327-15EL mechanically fastened membrane in Light Grey. As well as meeting the architect’s aesthetic requirements, this high-tensile strength system also safeguards the roof from wind uplift and benefits from a BBA-certified life expectancy in excess of 40 years.

Scott says that the speed in which Sarnafil’s mechanically fastened membrane can be installed was also an advantage. “It’s quick to fit, which enabled us to complete our work according to a tight programme and also allowed us the required access to complete the non-Sarnafil areas of roof.”

Thanks to effective project management from Bovis Lend Lease, this colossal project was completed successfully. “It was a complex job,” Scott stresses. “The client and architect demanded high quality and we worked to a tight schedule to meet their needs. As a result, we delivered a Sarnafil roof finished to a high standard of workmanship on time and on budget. Topek is very proud to have been involved in Silverburn’s construction – it’s a great feeling to have completed such a major project that I can see regularly.”

Sarnafil’s area sales manager for Scotland, Stephen Braid, worked closely with Topek in the early stages of the project. He is equally pleased to have contributed to one of the region’s most significant new-builds in the retail sector in recent years. “As a Scotsman, I’m certainly proud to have been involved in a project like Silverburn,” he adds. “Projects like these don’t come along too often, and so close to home, so I’m delighted Sarnafil was chosen.”

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