Off-site roof systems, often fitted with insulation in the factory, may still make up a small number of roofs in UK new build housing, but their numbers are growing.

The quoted benefits are factory quality, build speed, maximum usable room area in the roof and improved health safety for construction workers.

Smartroof has been operational in this market for some years and is now a joint venture between timber engineering manufacturer Wyckham Blackwell and the Keystone Group.

The system consists of a stressed skin continuous sheet of OSB3, polythene vapour barrier, timber frame filled with insulation, closed with a breathable membrane with 35mm counter battens fitted.

A unique feature is its patented gable to gable spanning panels, which eliminate the requirement for steel beams or purlins, and Smartroof’s prefabricated spandrel panels replace blockwork gables. Bascially, it is designed to create a 100% usable space and greater flexibility for roof light & dormer positioning.

Smartroof is manufactured at a factory in Swadlincote, south Derbyshire, but it has recently announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Cwmbran, Wales.

The Cwmbran facility will allow Smartroof to better service their customer base in the southern regions of the UK, whilst also creating 20 new jobs in the Torfaen County Borough Council area.

To date Smartroof has invested £150,000 in a factory fit out and production equipment for the new facility. A further £160,000 of capital expenditure will be invested throughout 2016 to help the company meet the growing demand for their products.

"We are very excited to announce this significant investment to expand and advance our manufacturing capabilities in the southern region of the UK," said Peter Nordon, Smartroof managing director.

"As well as bringing new jobs to the area this facility will help Smartroof to better serve their customers."

Smartroof plan to grow the business in Cwmbran and create a second production line for it new product: floor cassettes. There will also be research and development carried out in Cwmbran to create new innovative products which will further increase sales and the workforce in the area.

Many housebuilders are using the Smartroof system, including Redrow and Barratt.

Redrow Homes’s coastal development in Bangor, North Wales provided a tough challenge.

Strict regulations for coastline construction meant there were a limited number of days for building work to be carried out.

Smartroof offered Redrow Homes the fastest solution on the market by cutting five weeks off their build programme.

Benefits for Redrow included improved health and safety in adverse weather conditions. Alternative construction methods would have involved hat trusses therefore requiring free-standing gable block work, creating increased health and safety risks for the team.

To support health and safety Smartroof has invested in its installation team, enabling Smartroof to provide a ‘contract lift’, which places full accountability for the lifting process with Smartroof.

As well as ensuring a high standard of Health and Safety, this enables our clients to benefit from a range of services such as site visits to plan the lifting operation, a full lift design with crane selection and an assessment of ground conditions, plus all documentation including a method statement and risk assessment.

Prism Room in Roof SIP System

Last year Smartroof’s Prism Room in Roof SIP system was highly commended for ‘Best Brand New Product’ at the 2015 Housebuilder Awards.

Prism is designed to offer very high levels of insulation and airtightness as well as thermal performance as low as 0.09W/m2k.

The product also eradicates significant risks caused by erection of scaffolding, manual handling at height and falling blockwork gables.

"Through the Barratt Innovation Assessment process we came across the new Prism Smartroof system which we recognised offered benefits around speed of construction and health and safety," said Oliver Novakovic, technical and innovation director for Barratt Homes.

"We are now working closely with the Keystone Group to pilot the system and integrate it into our homes.