Formed in 2006 after the amalgamation of the CBS Boys School and Convent Girls School, Scoil Phádraig is situated in the heart of Westport. Being the largest school in the town, it now provides education to over 300 children. The constant increase in the number of pupils enrolling at the school soon called for a new building to cater for all its students.

The design team was led by Dermot McCabe and Elaine Naughton of SJK Architects, who previously completed the award winning Oughterard National School project in 2014, which also featured a Bauder single ply roof system. Their strikingly modern, colourful and light filled design with 16 classrooms, a general-purpose room and ancillary accommodation provides all the features needed to enhance the children’s learning and to support the teachers in setting high standards of education.

The Challenge

Located on the west coast of Ireland and facing the Atlantic Ocean, one of the major challenges was the meteorological factors. With high winds and storms occurring frequently, the new building had to be waterproofed rapidly in order to allow other trades to progress and to keep with the building programme. Consequently, the plywood deck of the building’s roof was installed and covered immediately with the Bauder DS1 DUO vapour control layer making the construction weathertight whilst the rest of the roof system could follow.

The Installation

Bauder approved contractor, Priority Roofing, installed the 2,300m² roof areas with Bauder Thermofol PVC Single Ply System that provides a high tear resistant waterproofing membrane.  The system was mechanically fixed and laps hot air-welded, with fixings calculated to withstand the high wind loads of the area. Chris Lee, single ply product manager at Bauder, commented: “Communication was key throughout the installation so that the architect’s requirements were met, the main contractor’s schedule was adhered to and the roofing contractor, Priority Roofing, were provided with all of the necessary technical support to deliver this high-profile roofing project.”

Aesthetics also being paramount for this project, careful attention was given to the detailing of the upstands. Vertical pitches and decorative profiles at 460mm centres were also installed, covering the laps of the Thermofol membrane and ensuring a stunning finish to the building. Following a final inspection, Bauder provided a robust guarantee for the entire roof.

On completion of the school and after winning the RIAI 2018 Best Educational Building Award, SJK Architects said, “It has been a rare career opportunity to design and build on such a prominent site in the popular town where SJK have an office location. The sight of 400 happy children and their parents coming and going to school daily is the best feedback any architect could ever wish for. The Design Awards were a nice professional validation of the benefits of SJK’s design thinking.”

Building Board

Project: Scoil Phádraig   Location: Westport, County Mayo   Roof Area: 2,300m²  Client: Burns Construction

Specifier: SJK Architects  Approved Roofing Contractor: Priority Roofing & Cladding Ltd

Applied Products

• Bauder Thermofol PVC Single Ply Membrane System.
• 160mm BauderPIR tissue face insulation.
• A single ply system provides many advantages to the modern building, particularly if weight and load bearing limits are an important consideration. Single ply waterproofing offers fast track, flame-free installation using hot air welding techniques with mechanical fastenings or adhesive bonding to provide solutions that are durable and resilient to the natural elements.

Key Benefits

• Developed to withstand climatic extremes and temperature shocks.
• The high tensile strength of over 1,100N is achieved by incorporating a high-quality polyester reinforcement within the membrane to resist tears and punctures to ensure durability.
• BBA certified 06/4354 with stated life expectancy in excess of 35 years.
• Fire classification B roof (t4) and verified by the BBA as ‘unrestricted’ and suitable for use on any part of a roof.
• Guaranteed system.