Here's a college with brains – Truro and Penwith College in Cornwall has chosen to protect a series of brand new Penwith campus buildings against wind uplift with a Sika Sarnafil single ply roofing system.

Part of a £29 million development, a total of 9,000sq m of Sika Sarnafil Lead Grey membrane is keeping the Zennor, Porthcurno College, Sennen, Gwenvor, Lamorna and Penberth buildings safe from the prevailing coastal winds of their exposed location in Penzance.

Offering higher and further education, Truro and Penwith College’s expansion programme saw nine new buildings erected in a project led by main contractor Midas Construction and St Ives-based Poynton, Bradbury, Wynter, Cole (PBWC) Architects. The Sika Sarnafil roofs themselves were installed by Exeter-based registered roofing contractor, Progressive Systems.


With the college keen to reduce the buildings' environmental impacts and promote sustainable construction methods, PBWC’s design incorporated green technologies including a 100Kw wind turbine and 150m-deep bore holes to provide ground-source heat. Thanks to its strong environmental performance, Sika Sarnafil was therefore the natural roofing choice for six of the nine buildings. Together, these green credentials have led to seven of the buildings achieving BREEAM Excellent and Very Good status.

What's more, the Sika Sarnafil single ply used across the roofs not only benefits from an independently assessed BBA-certified life expectancy, which states a life in ‘excess of’ 40 years in its opinion, but also protection from wind uplift – a key concern on this vulnerable site.

For further information on Sika Sarnafil’s products and services, call 01603 709360, email sarnafilroofing@uk.sika.com or visit www.sarnafil.co.uk.