Roofshield® protection for listed building in Paisley

A prominent town centre historic building in Paisley town centre which had fallen into disrepair is in the process of being restored with the help of Renfrewshire Council’s Townscape Heritage Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (TH.CARS2). The scheme aims to improve the built environment in Paisley town centre and is funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland and Renfrewshire Council (www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/thcars2).

The property dates back to 1840 and is a grade B-listed stone-faced terraced building at 3 County Place with a slated roof and situated in a prominent location opposite Paisley Gilmour Street train station. The 3-storey structure comprises three shops on the ground floor, with two upper floors left derelict for over 20 years. The restoration project, led by Paisley architect John Martin consists of converting the upper floors into four dwellings (two 2-bedroom and two 3-bedroom) and external repairs, including new windows, stonework, and roof works.

As part of the roof works, protection for the roof will include a new roofing membrane, new leadwork and the re-use of the original slates. All existing slates to the front elevation will be kept and used to maintain the appearance of the surrounding buildings with CUPA H3 slate fitted to the rear. All existing sarking to the roof will be replaced.

In selecting a suitable membrane, Architect John Martin explains, “ I chose Roofshield for the roof underlay because it is both air and vapour permeable and requires no additional ventilation to the roof. Roofshield is my preferred roofing membrane. It is strong and robust and meets all of the key criteria.”

The incorporation of Roofshield into a project can lead to savings in both labour and material costs due to no additional VCL being required. The high-performance air permeability of Roofshield means that the roof space will have similar air changes to that of a roof using traditional eaves/ridge ventilation.

The roof structures of historic buildings can be complex, and the sensitive nature of these projects demands careful consideration of moisture management and condensation control. Many vapour permeable underlays use an airtight VP film layer to achieve their performance. However, Roofshield’s patented SMS (Spunbond Meltblown Spunbond) structure allows high levels of airflow, in addition
to the transport of moisture vapour, making the formation of condensation in the roof space virtually impossible. It has an extremely high degree of vapour permeability and air permeability, so it will still perform in conditions in which airtight alternatives will not.

The high performance of Roofshield, backed by two BBA Certificates, has been successfully used in preserving and protecting the fabric of a wide range of historic and listed buildings for 25 years.