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Three types of fibre cement roofing and cladding materials from Marley Eternit were specified to bring both aesthetics and practicality to the redevelopment of a nursery school in East London. Kintore Way Children's Centre uses Marley Eternit's profiled sheeting on the roof and upper elevations and Multiclad rainscreen cladding on the lower elevations of a new extension as well as Rivendale slates on the roof of an existing 1930s nursery. The pitched elements of the roof are covered with the company's fibre cement profiled sheeting painted in blue, green, white and orange and complemented by translucent GRP sheets.

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Topdek from Ward Insulated Panels has been used to give a private care centre in Staffordshire a new lease of life. More than 380m² of Topdek insulated single-ply roof panels 80mm and 100mm thick were used to roof the Guardian Care Centre, as part of a major refurbishment. Andy Worley, who specified Topdek, said: 'We needed the new roof to be installed and sealed quickly and Topdek allowed us to do this much faster than conventional single-ply methods.' Ward Topdek is a factory pre-engineered composite roof panel that offers faster onsite assembly compared to traditional single-ply roofing methods.

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Part of natural slate’s aesthetic appeal is in its characteristic variation in colour, size and texture. Natural slate has been used in British construction for centuries and is ideal for specification in both new builds or when re-roofing to match the traditional or local character of the area. The benchmark in the UK - and possibly the world - has been set by the Welsh slate industry. However, restricted availability and downward pressure on market prices has over the last 30 years led to the growth of imported slate. The markets’ desire for low priced slate combined with a lack of understanding of all the quality issues, product standards and convoluted supply chains, has led to some problems on site and confusion for choosers and purchasers. Recent financial difficulties in the Welsh slate industry have probably done nothing to ease the concerns of those in need of a steady source of reliable natural slate. Such slate does, however, exist in eastern Canada where Cembrit Blunn source their Glendyne, Glacier and Trinity ranges. Being a relatively new source with an emphasis on the use of technology and attention to quality assurance, output is less variable than most other sources. Glendyne could well be the most approved slate currently available in Europe with certification to the relevant British Standard European Norm, French NF marque, Belgian STS standard and American ASTM standard.

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A new Products, Systems and Design Guide will detail Roof-Pro's rooftop support systems. The products are designed for efficient installation of a wide variety of roof-mounted services and fixtures. By supporting services above roof level, complex detailing and decommissioning for maintenance is unnecessary. Bases and frames are available to support equipment on flat roofs.

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The Flat Roof Alliance (FRA) and The Mastic Asphalt Council (MAC) have pledged their formal support for the Green Roof Campaign. The campaign, fronted by Dusty Gedge and sponsored by Permanite Engineered Roofing Systems, aims to increase support for a solid government policy on green roofs in the UK, whilst raising the awareness of green roof technology amongst the general public. There is growing interest in how green roofs can be developed into the building fabric in the UK. The Green Roof Campaign aims to lobby at local, regional and national level to raise awareness and ensure policy makers embrace this proven technology. The campaign was launched at Ecobuild. The opinions canvassed revealed: a 2:1 preference of incentives (29 %) over legislation (14%) with grants being the preferred incentive type, slightly ahead of tax relief. However, 22% of those surveyed believe that a mixture of legislation and incentives is needed.

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An open-air roofing underlay called Permo Air has been launched by Klober. The new underlay is said to be BBA approved and has the lowest water vapour resistance (0.08Mn/g) and highest water vapour transmission (2736 g/m²/day) which, the company says, is 13% better than any product currently available. As insulations standards continue to improve and homes become more airtight, Permo Air allows vapour in the roof space to be removed quickly. This, Klober stresses, is the best guarantee of avoiding roof space condensation. Hydrophobically treated, Permo Air is suitable for cold and warm roofs and has exceptional nail tear resistance.

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Wizard magic Hall 7, Stand K29 Asta Development will launch version 3 of Asta Easyplan, it's 'seriously simply project planning software'. Seven wizards are included in the new version, which assist users with activities such as creating a project, adding tasks and organising them. The system also enables data exchange with Microsoft Project and Primavera software.

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Refurbishing the roof of the headquarters of the official IT partners to the 2012 Olympics was always going to be a tough call. However, IMA-approved contractor McCormick Flat Roofing completed the five month project on time and on budget with the help Icopal's systems. The work was carried out Triton Square, London, home of the IOC's IT partners Atos Origin and the data centre data centre for northern Europe of JP Morgan Chase, the global financial services firm.

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When Carillion and partner HLM Architects were looking for materials for 13 new build primary schools in Barnsley they knew they had to be robust, low maintenance and sustainable. At King's Oak, Kalzip's Falzinc raised seam roofing met all the criteria. Falzinc uses a patented Pegal process to encase the aluminium core of the raised seam with a pre-weathered zinc layer that has a lower weather erosion rate than zinc and is long living due to the saline resistant substrate. The weathering treatment gives the zinc surface a mid grey shading - the appearance of approximately three-year old natural zinc. At King's Oak the sheets were fixed with associated flashings and fascias as well as gutters to prevent run off from cedar boarding above roof levels affecting the zinc. Because cedar board rain run-off attacks the surface of zinc care was needed throughout construction and secret gutters were built to prevent future damage.

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Accessories specialist Gradus has issued a specification guide detailing its portfolio of stair edgings, floor trims and skirting products including its latest high performance XT range.Roofing membranes specialist Icopal has extended its range of FireSmarty high-tech waterproofing solutions with the launch of a range of application equipment.. Claimed to technologically advanced the flame-free welders have been developed over several years by the company's research and development team in conjunction with roofing contractors all over Europe. Now patented, they represent a major step forward for the industry with the potential to root naked flames or boilers in the past. The range comprises an automatic, self-propelled side lap welder for sealing overlaps as well as a full-width welder for fully-bonding membranes and a lightweight hand-held welder for detail work.

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