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Filon

A brighter balance

Building Products Index Ltd Roof system, Roofing, Rooflights, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

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Making room for photovoltaic panels and daylight

By: Mark Wilcox, Managing Director.

It’s clear that a commercial roof can put sunlight to work in two ways. Photovoltaic (PV) panels generate electricity, while rooflights bring natural light into the building, reducing the need for electric lighting. Planning for both helps a roof deliver more value, through the energy it generates and the environment it creates inside.

For large-span industrial and commercial buildings, the benefits of rooflights go beyond lower lighting energy consumption. Daylight also supports the people working below, giving building owners and occupiers good reason to look beyond how much electricity a roof can produce.

The changing light throughout the day connects occupants with the outside world and supports a healthy 24-hour body clock. Daylight has also been shown to improve alertness and concentration, both welcome additions to the working day.

Spaces well-lit with daylight are associated with better staff retention and reduced absenteeism. Sufficient exposure to daylight is also believed to support long-term health and wellbeing. There are property benefits too: good daylighting has been shown to increase asset value and space utilisation.

Some of these benefits are easier to measure than others, but all deserve consideration when deciding how to use the roof.

For non-residential industrial and commercial buildings, effective daylight provision typically requires rooflights across 10–20% of the roof area. This is a useful starting point when planning rooflights alongside PV panels. The right balance will depend on how the space below is used, the positioning of rooflights and the other equipment the roof needs to accommodate.

There is plenty to fit in, which makes early planning essential. In large-span buildings, daylighting performance is directly related to the proportion of roof allocated to rooflights. Their position matters too. Leaving daylight provision until other rooftop requirements have been settled limits the options available.

For architects, specifiers and roofing contractors, planning rooflights and PV together helps make the most of the available space. It allows the needs of the building and its occupants to shape the roof design from the start.

A successful roof earns its keep in several ways: generating electricity, reducing lighting demand and creating a better working environment. Giving PV panels and rooflights their place in the design helps deliver all three.

At Filon, our specialist rooflighting expertise can help you make daylight part of a balanced, high-performance roof design. Reach out to our team at sales@filon.co.uk, or explore our range on NBS Source.

Filon lists core roofing and cladding systems on NBS Source

Building Products Index Ltd Roof system, Roofing, Rooflights Leave a Comment

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Filon has listed a selection of its roofing, rooflight and cladding systems on NBS Source, giving construction specifiers direct access to structured product information during the design and specification process.

The NBS Source platform brings together information from more than 1,100 construction product manufacturers, covering over 33,000 products. Specifiers can use the platform to find product specifications, literature, data sheets, images and digital objects at different stages of a project.

Supporting informed specification

The Building Safety Act 2022 has increased the construction industry’s focus on compliance, accountability and the quality of product information.

Filon’s new profile on NBS Source is intended to make relevant product information easier for specifiers to find and assess at an early stage. It also gives Filon a greater presence within the specification environment, helping its team engage with architects and other construction professionals while product decisions are being made.

With nearly 70 years of manufacturing experience, Filon is continuing to develop how it creates, manages and shares its product information. Its presence on NBS Source forms part of this work, alongside the company’s progress towards accreditation under the Code for Construction Product Information.

Tom Rose, National Sales Manager at Filon, said: “Having a strong presence on NBS is an important step for Filon. As an established manufacturer, it helps us present our product information clearly within the specification environment. Alongside our work towards CCPI accreditation, it also allows us to demonstrate our credentials as a responsible manufacturer.”

The Filon products available on NBS Source

Specifiers can currently find information on several Filon systems through the platform:

Ascend rooflight systems

A newly configured range of GRP rooflight systems, structured to help specifiers identify options suited to different roof constructions and project requirements.

Citadel GRP cladding panels

Profiled GRP sheets for roof and wall cladding applications in corrosive environments, including chemical, coastal and marine settings.

Over-Roofing systems

Lightweight GRP systems that overlay existing asbestos-cement roof sheets, allowing the original sheets to remain in place.

Fixsafe safety fixing systems

Systems that allow profiled GRP rooflights and roof sheets to be replaced from inside the building, avoiding the need to access fragile roof areas.

Technical support throughout specification

Filon’s highly supportive Technical Department is always available to help specifiers in identifying an appropriate system for the conditions and requirements of each project.

The team can provide extensive guidance on product selection, profiles, system configurations and technical documentation.

Find out more

Visit the Filon Products profile on NBS Source to view its listed systems and supporting product information.

Enhancing Safety and Natural Light with Filon’s Fixsafe at Wood Henry & Sons Farm

Building Products Index Ltd Rooflights Leave a Comment

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Project Overview

Filon, one of the UK’s market leading manufacturers of GRP rooflights, recently provided its innovative and patented rooflight replacement system, ‘Fixsafe’, for a project at Wood Henry & Sons Farm. The Filon Fixsafe system enables contractors to replace rooflights from inside the building, eliminating the inherent risks associated with accessing fragile roofs.

Wood Henry & Sons Farm, part of the esteemed Crown Estate, faced significant issues with its old and deteriorating GRP rooflights. Green & Heritage Roofing, a contractor based in Halifax had successfully used Fixsafe on previous projects and was confident in its ability to safely and effectively address the farm’s needs. In collaboration with SIG Roofing and Green & Heritage Roofing, Filon identified the specific profile required for the project and provided a comprehensive Fixsafe specification. This collaborative approach ensured that all project requirements were met with precision and efficiency.

Solution & Benefits

For this project, 22 No. Filon Fixsafe kits were supplied which included the new Big Six GRP rooflights, sealant and unique fasteners specifically designed for timber framed buildings. The new GRP rooflights were Filon DR (double reinforced) nominally 2.44kg/m2, providing extra reinforcement and enhanced strength along with an SAB Class 3, BROOF (t4) fire rating, ensuring compliance with building regulations and Filon Protect UV surface protection to provide long-term durability.

The patented Fixsafe system allowed for the replacement of the old rooflights entirely from within the building, not only minimising the risk to contractors but also reducing the need for extensive safety measures typically required for working at height on fragile roofs, making it a very cost-effective solution.

Filon Fixsafe offers several key benefits that made it the ideal solution for Green & Heritage Roofing at Wood Henry & Sons farm:

  • Safety: By replacing the rooflights from inside the building, Fixsafe eliminates the need to access fragile and dangerous roofs. This significantly reduces the risk of accidents and enhances overall site safety.
  • Efficiency: The system is designed for quick and easy installation, minimising disruption to the farm’s operations. The internal installation process is streamlined, reducing project timelines and labour costs.
  • Cost savings: Safe access and work equipment costs were greatly reduced as there was no need for:
    1. Edge protection scaffold
    2. Crawler boards
    3. Internal safety netting
  • Durability: Filon Protect UV surface protection to the weather face of the sheet provides long-term durability and expected life-span of more than 30 years.
  • Enhanced Natural Light: The natural lighting within the farm was dramatically improved with the new Filon GRP rooflights, creating a brighter, safer and more welcoming environment.
  • Compliance: The new GRP rooflights with a sheet of double reinforced nominally 2.44kg/m2 with SAB Class 3, BROOF (t4) fire ratings ensuring strength of sheet and conformity with Building Regulations.

Client Feedback

Chris Hopkins, Managing Director at Green & Heritage Roofing expressed his satisfaction with the Fixsafe system:

“When using the Filon Fixsafe system to replace the existing rooflights, it was like night and day. Wood Henry & Sons Farm commented that it was amazing the fact that before it was so dark in their barn, but now it looks like somebody has put bright lights on! Sanderson Brown, the architectural practice responsible for the project, was also really impressed with how the Fixsafe system worked and the difference that the new Filon GRP rooflights made to the building’s natural lighting.”

Conclusion

The successful installation using the patented Fixsafe rooflight replacement system at Wood Henry & Sons Farm highlights the product’s effectiveness in ensuring safety and improving natural lighting. This project demonstrates the significant benefits of using innovative solutions in building maintenance, setting a benchmark for future projects within the industry.

For further information, please see www.filon.co.uk or email to sales@filon.co.uk

New Heritage Valley is a ‘game changer’ for plain tile & slate roofs

Building Products Index Ltd Roofing Leave a Comment

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‘Innovation’ is a word that tends to be over-used these days. However, GRP roofing products specialist Filon Products is receiving widespread accolades for its new Heritage Valley design, which breaks important new ground in the pitched roofing sector.

Designed for use with plain tile and slate roofs, the Heritage Valley combines the proven benefits of GRP (Glass Reinforced Polyester) construction, with the classic, heritage aesthetic of a close mitred valley – previously only attainable with lead soakers.

Heritage aesthetics, with lower costs and practical advantages

GRP is much lighter than lead, completely non-toxic and because it has no scrap value, it’s not subject to any risk of theft. In addition to these advantages, the Heritage Valley also brings significant cost savings when compared to lead.

 

Firstly, the material cost of GRP is lower, resulting in a reduced initial outlay – and with no specialist lead working skills required, labour costs are reduced too. Further savings are delivered by the innovative design of the product itself.

Steve Makin, one of the design team behind the Heritage Valley, explains: “The unique, dry-fix ’S’ design of the Heritage Valley maintains a wide drainage channel but has a much narrower span between the tile support ledges. This design eliminates the need for costly valley roof tiles on plain tile roofs. With the short span between support ledges, there are no unsupported small cut tiles or slates, so no additional tile support pieces are required and the quantity of slate / tile and a half going into the valley is significantly reduced: another huge cost saving.” He continued: “Also, no special eaves closures are needed. With no gaps at the foot of the valley to fill, the fascia board is simply square cut to fit the valley trough profile.”

GRP design and production teamwork at its best

GRP is an outstanding construction material, but presents challenges in product design and production, which have until now, limited the extent to which various product features could be employed.

Filon’s Technical Consultant, Steve Vickers, has been closely involved with the project since its inception. He said: “Bringing the Heritage Valley to market has involved intensive teamwork, as it’s the most complex profile we’ve ever produced. We’ve always encouraged a culture of continuous improvement and openness to new ideas at Filon and this latest achievement is down to the hard work and collaborative efforts of many people.”

 

Designing tooling to create the unique ’S’ profile of the product, was just one of the challenges faced. Technical Supervisor Matt Camp put the design into CAD format and designed the many different sets of tooling that were necessary to achieve the exact profile required. He commented: “In the early stages, the material simply didn’t behave as we expected it to. Tooling for GRP production always requires refinement and adjustment and this was a particularly demanding product to get right.”

Production Manager John Charles was tasked with overseeing production trials and keeping the team motivated throughout a long period of trial and error which eventually led to the solution. He added: “There’s often no shortcut with GRP. One of the biggest challenges we faced was the very small time window required to get the material to working temperature. We’ve now firmly established all the production parameters, which means we’re able to manufacture in quantity to our regular lead times.”

Filon: a long tradition of innovation

Filon has been a leader in GRP construction products for over sixty-five years, having pioneered the original GRP profiled sheets manufactured by continuous pultrusion process in the 1950s. Filon also manufactured the first continuously produced GRP valley troughs as an alternative to costly lead products in the 1980s.

Managing Director Mark Wilcox concluded: “The Heritage Valley complements our existing valley trough range and meets a specific need in the roofing sector. It further supports our claim to be ‘The innovator in GRP construction products’. I offer huge thanks to the brilliant team that have turned this outstanding idea into a practical reality with a realistic price point”.

For further information, visit: www.filon.co.uk