access hatch – BPindex blog

The sky is the limit for the Riverside Museum, Glasgow, with the help of Bilco UK

Building Products Index Ltd January 27, 2022 Access Hatches, Roof Hatches Leave a Comment

Housing the Glasgow Museum of Transport, one of the UK’s foremost transport and technology collections, the Riverside Museum reflects Glasgow’s historic role as a centre of shipbuilding, train manufacturing and engineering.

Previously located in a former tram depot on the Glasgow South Side, the Transport Museum’s exhibits have moved to The Riverside Museum, designed by renowned architect, Zaha Hadid.

The museum’s iconic and beautiful design dominates its riverside location, whilst paying homage to the heritage of its surroundings. Crucial to the museum’s flowing design is its roof, which curves and undulates and continues around the east and west sides of the building to constitute the majority of the external structure.

Silver-grey zinc panels complete the effect, placing the building firmly in the context of the River Clyde. As part of the roof construction, Bilco UK was commissioned to manufacture and supply a E-50TB Roof Access Hatch, in addition to two ESW-50REM Smoke Vents, to meet strict requirements for convenient access and building safety regulations.

Both the roof access hatch and smoke vents were custom-designed to unique specifications by Bilco UK’s in house team and clad in zinc to create a seamless, aesthetic finish with the museum’s distinctive roof.

Expertly engineered to meet the requirements of Manual Handling Regulations, the E-50TB Roof Access Hatch allows for regular and convenient maintenance by facilitating easy one-handed operation. The Access Hatch will enable engineers with small tools to safely access the roof to conduct essential maintenance, whilst its overlapping cover design, fully welded corners and insulated cover ensure both weather tightness and energy efficiency to deliver the highest standards of longevity for the museum.

Specified to ensure strict adherence with relevant fire safety regulations, the two ESW-50REM Smoke Vents open to 140 degrees in the event of a fire within 60 seconds, guaranteeing the highest standards in fire safety and allowing for the venting of smoke, heat and noxious gases in the event of a fire.

Mark Baird, Sales Operations Manager at Bilco UK, said: “Knowing that Bilco UK’s products are part of such a unique and ambitious project, especially one which is so architecturally significant, is incredibly rewarding. The Riverside Museum is a great example of how taking a bespoke approach to roof access solutions can achieve unparalleled aesthetics, without compromising on convenience or safety.

“Not only do our custom-made access hatches and smoke vents integrate seamlessly into the overall design, they also offer the highest possible standards of fire safety and efficiency.”

Open to Glasgow to the North and the Clyde to the South, the museum’s interior is complex, inviting visitors to snake their way around the various exhibits. The building “flows from city to waterfront, symbolising the dynamic relationship between Glasgow and the ship-building, seafaring and industrial legacy of the river Clyde.” (Zaha Hadid).

For further information on Bilco UK’s complete range of roof access solutions, visit www.bilcouk.co.uk or call 01284 701696.

Key Considerations When Specifying Ladders

Building Products Index Ltd October 22, 2019 Roof Hatches Leave a Comment

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Tony Stevens, Technical Estimator at Bilco UK, outlines some of the key factors to be considered when specifying ladders for accessing a roof area.

Where is the ladder going to be used?

If the ladder is required to gain access to the roof and to be mounted externally it will require a safety cage and guard rail to enter the roof safely.

What is the ladder going to be used with?

You need to have a clear understanding of the type of access product the ladder is going to be used with.

For a small hatch, such as the Bilco E-50TB, which has internal dimensions of 915mm x 915mm, a fixed vertical ladder should be specified. A retractable ladder would not be recommended for the E-50TB as the ladder angle would hinder access when you get close to the hatch.

Where frequent access to the roof area is required for maintenance personnel, tools and equipment a companionway roof hatch, like the CS-50TB which is a larger elongated access hatch, is generally required. In this instance a companionway ladder or a retractable ladder can be specified (the maximum size for companionway would be 2440mm and 1500mm for retractable).

The companionway ladder is a 75 degree angled, rigid ladder providing permanent access to the roof hatch.

Retractable ladders are ideal for use in areas, such as schools and hospitals, where the floor space must be kept clear. They can be mounted above a ceiling and be offered with additional vertical backboards with steps and a handrail. They can also be supplied with fire rating.

Where access is required to the roof area via a smoke ventilator, like the Bilco ESW-50REM, a retractable ladder is not an option. The very nature of the mechanism of a retractable ladder would prevent the flow of smoke through the vent. It would therefore be counterproductive to use a retractable ladder with a smoke vent, although we have seen this specified on more than one occasion!

The only recommended ladder for use with a smoke ventilator is a fixed vertical ladder, due to the small footprint of this type of ladder.

Ladder Height

Knowing the height of the floor to underside of roof access hatch that you wish to access may seem incredibly obvious, but you may be surprised by the number of ladders that are specified either too short or too long for the height required!

Roof Void Height

When specifying a retractable ladder it is essential that you know the height of the roof void – the space between the ceiling and the roof. This is to ensure the ladder box liner will fit inside the space once retracted.

What happens if you get the specification wrong?

If you specify a small hatch for use with either a companionway ladder or retractable ladder it will be difficult to access, so it will not be functional.

If you specify a large length hatch, it will be difficult to access from a fixed vertical ladder. The worker will have to overstretch to open and close the hatch, putting themselves into an unsafe position.

If you specify a retractable ladder with a smoke ventilator you will compromise the integrity of the smoke ventilator by blocking the flow of smoke.

To conclude, specifying ladders might seem like a straightforward aspect of a building project but the health and safety and functionality implications are far reaching. Always ensure you specify the right type of ladder and hatch that will provide the safest and easiest access to the roof area.

If you need some help with specifying the right ladder to use for roof access please contact Tony – tony.stevens@access-360.co.uk.