John Lewis Brent Cross

Opened in 1976, the John Lewis department store in north London’s Brent Cross Shopping Centre is a major retail destination. But the building the store is situated in was in need of repair. With 3000 square metres across two courtyards, bespoke rooflights and working on a live site with difficult access, this was anything but a straightforward project.
Thermaweld
John Lewis Brent Cross hero image

The refurbishment project on the John Lewis store, was anything but easy, with access difficulties and complexities to work around. So, the roofing solution specified needed to be trusted. That’s why Thermaweld FireSmart was chosen. 

As one of the UK’s most trusted bitumen roofing systems, Thermaweld has been designed and manufactured in the UK, for the UK. It’s a system that delivers trusted performance over a long lifetime of low risk and low maintenance, while providing high safety and performance and being backed by tailored services and support from the technical team at BMI Icopal.

Location: Brent Cross Shopping Centre, Prince Charles Dr, Brent Cross, London, NW4 3FL 

Client: John Lewis, Brent Cross

Contractors: Kingsley Roofing London

System: Thermaweld FireSmart

The Challenge

The Challenge

This project had two main challenges that roofing contractors Kingsley Roofing needed to overcome, backed by support from BMI Icopal. 

The first was the issue of transporting materials to the site. As it was a live site, there was a small window for materials to be delivered to the project. But, that’s not all. Both courtyards were also surrounded by walls on all sides and most materials couldn’t be transported through the store. This meant that the materials were to be transported to the top of the building before being lowered into the central courtyard, where they could be made use of. 

The roof itself was a complex project, due to the layout, fixtures, and overcoming areas of leakage - each providing their own challenges. The central courtyard featured a bank of four large roof lights in need of custom replacement, as well as fabricated sheds sitting on top of the existing roofing material – so there was limited space to work around. The secondary courtyard also has a variety of plant equipment often found on flat roofs, which meant the roofing work had to take place in spaces as tight as 300mm. 




The Challenge Image

The impact

The impact

With two courtyards that each had their own complexities to work around, a site that was live throughout the project and bespoke solutions that were needed, the re-roof for John Lewis, Brent Cross was anything but straightforward. 

Icopal partnered with Kingsley Roofing on the project, which involved a substantial amount of problem solving to overcome the complexities of the roof while providing a high-quality finish. The roof lights across the store, for example, were large and non-standard with access doors incorporated in them. So, the team on the project needed to look beyond existing units, to design bespoke roof lights and incorporate them into the wider roofing system, while retaining a premium look and feel alongside the existing functionality. 

There also needed to be stellar planning and preparation in place in order for the project to be delivered on time, and to budget. Not only did the team need to manage tight delivery windows and limited access, working on the live site meant that extra care and attention was needed throughout the installation.

Doyle Norris, Estimator at Kingsley Roofing, said “From ordering the materials, Icopal were able to ensure that the products were delivered on time and in a professional manner. The on-site representative who surveyed our finishes and details was helpful and guided us to where we needed to be to ensure the client received BMI Icopal’s guarantee.” 

The work done on the new roofs has not only solved many of the issues the roofs were facing but has provided a much safer and more aesthetic waterproofing solution for the staff, customers and building owners.

The impact image

In Focus: Thermaweld

In Focus: Thermaweld

Proven across multiple flat roof projects nationwide, Thermaweld is a bituminous roofing system which offers trusted, best-in-class performance with a long service life while requiring minimal maintenance.

Suitable for use between -20°C and 90°C, it has been specifically developed to withstand the challenges faced by flat roofs in the UK, such as water, insect and pest damage, moss, fungi, lichen, moulds and bacteria.

Ideal for both new build and refurbishment projects, Thermaweld Firesmart has been designed for use as a torch-applied top sheet in a bitumen built-up roof system.

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In Focus: Thermaweld Image

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