Students have a new Falzinc roof over their heads

Falzinc roof is giving pupils at a new GBP4.3 million school an inspired taste for the three Rs.

The circular roof at Ysgol Maes y Coed in Bryncoch, Neath, West Glamorgan, a special needs school for students with learning difficulties, contains some 1,700 m of 0.7 mm Falzinc raised seam roofing which covers classrooms and communal areas and encloses a central sensory playground.

Kalzip's 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.

Ysgol Maes y Coed was built traditionally by main contractor Gee Construction as a replacement for the old Briton Ferry Special School and caters for students aged between two and 19 years.

The two pitches of the main, doughnut roof are split with high level glazing to maximise natural light.

Sub-contractor Metalex Roofing had to individually taper the foldable Falzinc to meet the radii of the doughnut ring - 25 metres on the outside and 12 metres on the inside - but the Falzinc was also used on three "legs", one of which houses a swimming pool.

Two of these legs are duo pitched while one is curved.

Gareth Nutt, head of property and regeneration for Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, said they had specified the Falzinc because it was the "most suitable product" and were "very pleased" with the result.

They have since used Kalzip roofing on another school.

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