STRENGTHEN CIF BIDS WITH CONDITION REPORTS AND SPECIFICATIONS

To keep education provider buildings safe and in good working order, the UK government has been organising annual Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) bidding rounds since 2014, inviting academies, sixth-form colleges, and voluntary aided schools to apply for capital funding. The applicants for CIF 2022-23 will soon be notified of the outcome regarding their projects that address health and safety issues, building compliance and poor building condition (thus meeting the CIF eligibility requirements). For many years, SOPREMA has been providing independent, expert technical advice to local councils, allowing them to strengthen the proposals they submit on behalf of the educational institutions in their county with the necessary supporting evidence, such as building calculations. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE FOR CIF PROJECTS There are three main types of CIF projects: ‘condition’ (projects to improve the condition of buildings), ‘condition with expansion’ (projects to improve the condition, with the gross internal floor area of the replacement block up to 10% larger than the previous block), and ‘expansion’ (projects that create additional spaces or address overcrowding). As far as the first two categories are concerned, SOPREMA has been going on site to assess thousands of roof square metres for local authorities, evaluating the condition of every individual roof and proposing the best solution to improve it and bring it up to current regulations. Our experts take samples, draw up a map of all roof areas, measure up every area, and look at the general condition of the roof as well as its performance in terms of drainage and thermal efficiency. More specifically, SOPREMA provides a package document containing U-value calculations certifications technical data sheets survey reports Based on all that information, our technical experts also propose a specification of the works. COLLABORATING WITH APPROVED INSTALLERS Together with our local approved installers, SOPREMA has all the knowledge and know how to make sure academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary aided schools get the solution they need. We have not only written condition reports for projects encompassing over twenty roofs; we have also drawn up multiannual plans giving our customers a clear overview of the roofing works that must be carried out and when. NEW CIF ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: SUSTAINABILITY A lot of the refurbishment projects that are submitted to CIF involve thermal upgrades of the roof as well as waterproofing works, but they also include improvements in terms of energy efficiency (the installation of solar panels, for instance, as well as windows and roof lights). Bitumen-based solutions remain an excellent choice for waterproofing works, but as sustainability is becoming ever more important (‘Environmental Sustainability’ has been included as a new assessment criterion in CIF 2022-23), the demand for our TPO single-ply membranes is steadily increasing. Hence, our TPO waterproofing is manufactured according to the principles of sustainable construction, respecting the environment, human resources, and the economy. Our PIR products, in turn, are often used for improving a building’s energy efficiency. NATURAL INSULATION: ECO-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE Moving forward, our range of natural insulation products for walls and roofs will probably gain more importance as an exceptionally eco-friendly alternative to the traditional PIR options. A recent life cycle analysis on a scheme in central London with PAVAROOF shows an impressive overall reduction in kg/CO2, as well as a carbon storage of about 60 kg/m² of roof area. HOW CAN WE HELP? Would you like our technical support for your project? Don’t hesitate to contact us.

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