Flag–Soprema single ply for Europe’s biggest IKEA

Dublin’s new £32 million IKEA store in Ballymun is the Republic’s first. Close to the airport and part of the 'Masterplan for Ballymun Regeneration', the fast track building incorporated comprehensive initiatives to embrace energy conservation, sustainable building design, planning and building management.

IKEA considers the construction of its stores should reflect the company’s renowned efficiency and has a policy of seeking to reduce the environmental impact of its buildings. Its IGR initiative – 'IKEA Goes Renewable', is for 100% renewable energy so Flag-Soprema’s FLAGON EP/PR TPO was installed with a rainwater harvesting system at Ballymun. and had to accommodate potential for structural movement.

Specialist roofing contractor Multiroofing Systems installed the membrane in what was a highly complex specification. TPO was chosen because of its inherent flexibility, adaptability to structural movements, long life expectancy and WRAS potable water certification. This had been confirmed on earlier IKEA new build and refurbishment projects which included re-roofs at Thurrock, Wembley, Wednesbury and Croydon. In all, 71,000m² among a total of 22 stores throughout Europe has been installed.

For such a wide roof span and low pitch, the system’s light weight and guarantee of performance for 25 years offer clear performance benefits in keeping with the client’s requirements. Stephen Pettyfer U.K. Construction Manager of IKEA Properties Investments Ltd. commented: “Environmental impact is at the heart of our building designs and the Flag-Soprema’s TPO system has proved to be a very good choice”.

Multiroofing Systems MD Barry Sharkey added: “The Flag system was a very good product to work with. TPO membranes by their nature are more rigid than PVC membranes and can prove difficult to weld in certain circumstances. However, this was not our experience with Flag’s TPO. The membrane is surprisingly flexible and we found it particularly easy to weld. This is certainly an advantage when it comes to detail work. Our overall experience with the membrane was a good one and we will have no hesitation in working with it again”.