PIR boards and sarking from CSR Bradford were installed in the roof system of the new Palmerston Hospital to meet the challenges of Darwin’s extreme tropical weather.

The first public hospital to be built in the Northern Territory for 40 years, the $170M Palmerston Hospital in Darwin is due to open in May 2018. Designed as a state‑of-the-art healthcare facility for the region, the 116-bed hospital with provision for future expansion, will employ 340 staff and deliver a range of services including 24/7 emergency care, maternity and child care, specialist support services and pathology.

The roof system on Palmerston Hospital is designed for Darwin’s extreme tropical weather and incorporates special engineering provisions to enable future expansion. The roof system consists of a metal roof structure built on top of a concrete roof slab and incorporates two high performance thermal insulation and condensation control layers.

Bradford PIR boards are installed on top of the concrete roof slab while Bradford sarking is installed directly under the metal roof sheets. During any expansion of the hospital in the future, the Bradford PIR boards and metal roof structure can be easily removed and additional levels constructed on top of the concrete roof slab.

The roof system achieves a Total R-Value of R5.0 (heat flow down) and has condensation control layers at both roof and ceiling levels. Bradford PIR boards insulate the concrete roof slab from above with each board pinned and caulked to the slab with all joints taped. Bradford sarking insulates the metal roof structure from under the metal roof sheeting; the sarking was rolled out over the safety mesh with joints overlapped, caulked and taped to twice seal the joins.

The Bradford team provided comprehensive technical support including thermal calculations, condensation risk evaluations, project specific installation instructions and on-site product support.

Installation Methods

Bradford PIR Boards Xtratherm Xtroliner Duo 75mm

Bradford PIR boards (Xtratherm Xtroliner Duo 75mm) was installed as a continuous insulation layer over the top of the concrete roof slab. Each board was pinned and caulked to the slab with all joints and pin fixings taped.

Bradford Sarking Thermofoil 753 Heavy Duty

Bradford Sarking (Thermofoil 753 Heavy Duty) was installed directly under the metal roof, rolled out over the safety mesh in line with the purlins. The roll side edge of the sarking was lapped by 150mm at the purlins and the joints were caulked using construction adhesive mastic. Foil tape was then placed on top to double-seal the join.

Technical Project Support

The DesignSmart team at CSR Bradford brings a wealth of construction experience based on industry-leading building science research for acoustic, thermal and fire insulation products. As the experts in building insulation, the team can assist with project-specific support, value engineering challenges, specification documentation, system design detailing, and product installation and certification.

Architecture & Design Team

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Bradford

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