Protecting Science Centre From Unnecessary Roof Replacement
Garland UK Technical Manager
Justyn Irons
Approved Contractor
TRS Roofing
When a science centre welcomes thousands of visitors, school groups and community organisations every year, an essential science centre roof refurbishment needs to balance building performance with the realities of keeping the doors open. That was the challenge facing We The Curious when persistent water ingress affected its North Gallery roof.
The estates team had been told the roof needed a full strip and replacement. Before committing to that level of capital spend, they asked Garland UK Technical Manager Justyn Irons to take a closer look at other options for protecting the science centre. What was discovered changed the outcome entirely.
Challenge
The North Gallery roof was leaking, where membranes had become brittle, seams had failed, and detailing around critical junctions had deteriorated. An earlier assessment had recommended a full strip and replacement.
As an educational charity working with finite capital, We The Curious couldn’t justify a full replacement unless it was genuinely necessary. The recommendation needed scrutiny, not straightforward acceptance.
Rather than proceed on the basis of a visual inspection alone, Justyn Irons carried out a detailed roof condition survey and core sampling. Rob Simpson of RWS Consultants provided independent moisture mapping using a nuclear moisture gauge. Together, the two investigations gave the estates team a data-led evidence base to make an informed decision, rather than one based on assumption.
Solution
The survey data made clear that a full replacement wasn’t necessary. Moisture mapping and core sampling confirmed that the majority of the existing roof build-up remained serviceable, giving the estates team the confidence to pursue a more targeted scope of works.
Garland UK specified the StressPly Flex Plus waterproofing system, with the saturated gutter section stripped back and rebuilt while the remaining roof areas were retained and overlaid, ensuring only what had genuinely failed was replaced. A new insulated overlay was incorporated into the design, improving the roof’s U-value from 0.23 W/m²K to 0.18 W/m²K and bringing the building up to current regulatory standards.
Garland UK’s Approved Contractor, TRS Roofing, installed the roof to a high standard, with Justyn Irons providing technical support, quality assurance inspections, and project oversight throughout. Justyn conducted weekly site visits, tracking the project’s progress through its RAMP (Roof Asset Management Programme) quality assurance process, giving stakeholders digital visibility at every stage.
On completion, the roof was covered by Garland UK’s Single-Point Guarantee, with one accountable provider for design, materials and workmanship. For a charity managing assets on a restricted budget, this removes the risk of liability disputes should an issue arise in the future.
Outcome
The survey-led approach saved We The Curious an estimated £64,000 compared with the originally proposed full roof strip and replacement.
Throughout the works, the science centre stayed open. Visitors, school groups and community organisations continued using the building while the refurbishment progressed overhead.
The refurbishment also kept serviceable materials in place, preventing approximately 32 tonnes of waste from going to landfill. The U-value improvement, from 0.23 to 0.18 W/m²K, means the building now loses less heat through the roof, reducing running costs for an organisation that benefits from keeping them down.
Jen Field, Head of Estates at We The Curious said, “The independent survey findings gave us clear evidence of what the roof actually needed, allowing us to avoid unnecessary replacement works and focus investment where it would deliver the greatest value.”
The North Gallery now carries a 25 year Single-Point Guarantee, and for a charity managing assets on a restricted budget, that certainty matters.
Justyn Irons, Technical Manager at Garland UK said, “Too often, building owners face major capital expenditure decisions without a clear picture of what the existing asset actually needs. Independent investigation changes that. Here, it proved a full replacement wasn’t necessary and allowed us to develop a solution based on evidence rather than assumption.”
Been told your roof needs replacing?
A full replacement is sometimes the right answer and sometimes an expensive default. The difference is whether anyone has measured what is actually left in the existing build-up. A Free Roof Survey does that, with core sampling, moisture mapping and a roof lifespan assessment, and your local Technical Manager gives you a written recommendation either way.
Commercial, public sector and industrial buildings, and large residential blocks. We do not survey individual domestic properties.
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