Corus reaches new heights at Snowdon summit

09 Oct 2007

Corus Kalzip’s off-site roofing system, Hi-Point, has been installed on Snowdon’s new £8.3 million visitor centre - perched at the very top of the mountain.

More than 300 square metres of Hi-Point was used to provide a durable, fast-track roofing system for the new visitor attraction.  Located on the summit of Snowdon, there was inadequate space to construct roof modules onsite and poor weather conditions posed a threat to the delivery of the project, which is being developed by main contractor Carillion.

Meirion Evans, Regional Director for Carillion, said: “The mountain lies at an altitude of 1,085 metres above sea level and has one of the wettest climates in Great Britain.  With limited space and a strict build schedule, we needed an offsite roofing system that offered significant benefits in terms of safety, speed, cost and design flexibility.  Hi-Point offered an ideal solution and proved extremely versatile for this one-off design.”

Manufactured at Kalzip’s dedicated site in Haydock, the complete roofing system was pre-assembled at the factory premises, transported to the foot of the mountain and delivered to site by the mountain’s dedicated railway link.  Kalzip’s approved roofing contractor, Sterling Building Systems Ltd, then craned the lightweight structure into position for alignment and finishing in 32 sections.  It took less than four days to install the system, compared to four or five weeks to complete a traditional roof build under the same conditions.

Ralph Ellis, Kalzip’s site supervisor, said: “As the main construction and assembly takes place at ground level and under factory controlled conditions, the dangers associated with working at height are minimised.  There is also less need for scaffolding and on-site operatives so the roofing system could be completed incredibly quickly, reducing costs and delays to the build programme.”

The Hi-Point system is ideal for repeat designs such as hotel chains or Ministry of Defence accommodation and can accommodate mono-pitch, duo-pitch and barrel-vault roofs with virtually any finish.  Snowdon visitor centre’s roofing system is a mono-pitch design, curved to a radius of 60 metres, which merges with the sloping contours of the mountainside.  For further information on Kalzip’s off-site roofing system, please visit www.kalzip.com or call +44 (0) 1925 825100.

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For more information contact Sophie Whittle / Gemma Rae on +44 (0)1242 577277

swhittle@camarguepr.com / grae@camarguepr.com

Editors Notes

1)       Corus: Construction represents some 30 per cent of Corus' £9 billion annual turnover and is the largest single part of the business. A diverse range of products and systems, from 14 integrated business units, supported by industry leading knowledge and technical expertise allows Corus to add value wherever its customers use steel or aluminium.

2)       More on Corus: Corus is Europe's second largest steel producer with revenues of £9.7 billion and crude steel production of 18.2 million tones in 2006, primarily in the UK and the Netherlands. Combining international expertise with local customer service, the Corus brand represents quality and strength, providing innovative solutions to the construction, automotive, packaging, mechanical engineering and other markets worldwide. Corus is a subsidiary of Tata Steel, the world's fifth largest and second most global steel producer.  With a combined presence in 45 countries, Tata Steel including Corus has 84,000 employees across four continents and a pro forma crude steel production of 27 million tonnes in 2007.

Issued on behalf of Corus by Camargue, Corporate and B2B Communications,
Eagle Tower, Montpellier Drive, Cheltenham, Glos GL50 1TA.
Tel: +44 (0)1242 577277 Fax: +44 (0)1242 527277