STEM Building, University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham STEM Building is a £40 million Collaborative Teaching Laboratory (CTL) which will revolutionise the way that students learn about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Completed in late 2018, it aims to provide the best possible learning experience for its students, incorporating both wet and dry laboratories along with a purpose-built e-lab facility. On this prestigious educational project, MAC Roofing was selected to install a wide range of envelope protection systems, including flat roof waterproofing, vertical cladding and architectural aluminium features.

The original specification included the use of a number of separate systems which was both costly and overly complicated. However, MAC were able to work with the Main Contractor and Client to rationalise the product offer to just 2 key materials, resulting in significant cost savings, improved installation times and more simplistic detailing. On the lower roofs and plant room roofs, MAC installed 4,000m2 of Icopal’s Parabit Solo Hot Melt System, whilst the upper roof area featured 2,000m2 of Icopal Universal Single Ply System.

This logistically challenging project is located in the heart of the University complex which was live throughout the construction period. It was therefore essential to carefully plan all material deliveries to site at specific times in order to minimise any disruption and eliminate any safety risks. In addition, MAC also maintained extremely high standards of Health & Safety at all times by conducting regular site audits throughout the duration of the works.

On this complex new build scheme, MAC was selected to install the roofing, cladding and architectural aluminium packages and it was therefore in full control of the interface sequence between these disciplines. In particular, this meant that MAC’s Installation Team could effectively manage the interfacing between roof and walls, ensuring that all materials were compatible and that appropriate air seals were achieved.