Kemper System’s solvent-free Kemperol 2K-PUR cold liquid-applied waterproofing membrane has been used for the roof of the Tree House environment at Chester Zoo, which forms a covered walkway for visitors under the giant polymer dome.
The exhibit forms part of the £40m Islands development – six South East Asian island environments that visitors can explore on foot or by boat.
Within Islands is Monsoon Forest – home to numerous species including Sulawesi macaques and orangutans, and the tree house that will allow visitors to walk through the enclosure. Roofing contractor K. Pendlebury Roofing met with the client at the zoo to discuss specification for the job, which had to take into account the habitat’s changing climate, the water mist that is used to create humidity and the behaviour of the animals. The shaped surfaces and high temperatures of the walkway proved most challenging, with K.
Pendlebury Roofing having to tape the seams of the 200m² plywood surface to prevent any resin from seeping through the joints during the application process.
Following application of a primer mixed with quartz sand to provide a key, the cold-liquid Kemperol 2K-PUR resin was then applied directly onto the roof.
The installation team then laid Kemper System’s 165gsm flexible reinforcement fleece, which is cut to size and shape on site, directly into the wet resin, using rollers to remove any creases or air bubbles before immediately applying more resin to fully saturate the fleece.
The system was applied in a single wet-on-wet process and allowed to cure, providing a seamless, monolithic membrane that bonds directly to the substrate.
