BISF Homes, Maesteg

The fact that many of them are still standing is surprising as they constructed as a short-term fix to the UK’s housing needs in the forties, when house building reached a shortfall. Nobody expected these ‘prefab’ homes to last forty years, yet many of them are still standing at 60 years old or more. The survival of the BISF – which is an acronym for the British Iron and Steel Federation, the body responsible for the steel frame design – would not have been possible without a few helping hands along the way and as the decades have passed, the requirements of a home have evolved along with the government definition of what suitable accommodation should be.

The BISF, despite its years of experience sheltering families from the cold, needs to maintain decent, modern living standards like every other type of home. Examples of this can be found in the town of Maesteg, located in South Wales. Valley 2 Coast Housing Association are responsible for over 6000 homes in the area including BISF properties, some of which need refurbishment. Part of the refurbishment requirements was the replacement of existing metal roofing sheets that would not only ensure the security and insulation of the homes, but also be able to take the installation of a solar panel system post-installation. The responsibility of specifying materials to meet the project requirements went to Michael Dyson Associates, a UK-wide group of Architects who chose Metrotile Lightweight Roofing for the refurbishments:

“We examined requirements of CDM (Construction Design Management) and decided on 2 storey houses that lifting large sheets up a scaffold created unacceptable risks in handling. The Metrotile was suitable for manual handling, less likely to be carried by wind during installation and allowed PV fixing rails to be used without special weather sealing.”

Mr Perkins also cited the product lifespan and the .900mm thickness and

the tile’s durability (and resistance to extra foot traffic) during the construction period as reasons for choosing Metrotile.

Once Mr Perkins settled on using Metrotile for the project, local approved contractors Cambrian Roofing were assigned installation duties, assuring a rapid rooftop installation.

Find out more about Metrotile and non-traditional housing here.  For further information about Metrotile Lightweight Roofing, visit our contact page. To download from our library of informative documentation and certifications, click here.