Edinburgh Napier University

  Major house builders and contractors in the UK are seeking alternative solutions to form the structural frame of pitched roofs for various reasons; speed, health and safety, quality ease of use. They are exploring the use of offsite systems, which arguably provide all of the above benefits. However, these systems are typically considerably more expensive, often difficult to scale-up and limited in their design scope compared to traditional roof truss solutions. The strategic aim of the research reported on in this paper was therefore to develop a mass customisable roofing solution to allow the UK’s largest roof truss manufacturer to enter into the off-site construction sector without reinventing their business architecture. The research considered both the new build and retrofit market. The first roof solution for the new build market is a ‘sliding roof’, a roof truss installation method which includes a pre-prepared system created under factory conditions. The system is delivered to the construction site where it is lifted onto one end of the structure. After the system is in placed it is opened the length of the roof. The second system investigated, to be used for the retrofit market, is a self-supporting and thermally insulated roof panel, designed and developed for a multitude of pitched roofs. Working with the industry partner the suitability of the roof systems as effective off-site solutions has been trialled. The full process was monitored from a design, manufacture and construction perspective with a critical appraisal undertaken for evaluation purposes. These finding are reported.