15 Talavera Rd, Macquarie Park

New Waterproof Membrane and Decommissioning of an old BMU track in this occupied commercial building

THE PROBLEM

This large commercial rooftop originally incorporated a 900m2 reinforced concrete wearing slab for the BMU around the perimeter and inner light well.

The BMU had since been decommissioned and the waterproof membrane under the wearing slab had failed, and was causing leaks in to the top floor suites.

THE CONSTRAINTS

The building was fully occupied during the project and noise restrictions meant all noisy works had to be performed outside of normal hours.

We had to remove almost 200 tonnes of concrete wearing slab from the roof to street level 25m below. We then had to progressively remove and replace 1000m2 of failed membrane whilst ensuring we protected the building from inclement weather.

THE SOLUTIONS & METHODOLOGY

By utilizing a mobile crane we were able to place concrete cutting and lifting machinery on to roof to facilitate the fast removal of the BMU track.

We broke the tracks down in to manageable pieces and loaded them into a specially designed bin system that deposited them at ground level for the waiting concrete recyclers.

We progressively removed the failed membrane and installed a temporary membrane to the substrate to protect the building from inclement weather during the works.

We installed a 2-layer torch on membrane with a 15 year warranty, flood tested the new system and installed new insulation and ballast to match the existing roof finish.

Other works undertaken included replacing a failed capping system, replacing sealant joints to the 4 story curtain wall and coating the parapet walls in a new façade coating.

THE RESULT

Our methodology allowed the building to remain fully tenanted for the duration of the works. The project was completed on time and has been fully tested to ensure there are no leaks.

We were also able to recycle the old concrete wearing slab and help reduce the impact on the environment.