International Building Award The inventor of a groundbreaking new product for the building industry was honoured at an award ceremony at Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) last month, April 21st. Civil Engineer Andrew Schofield, was guest of honour at The International Innovation and Research Awards. The ceremony was held at CIOB headquarters at Ascot, Berkshire. Andrew was presented with the Building Innovation Award by President of the CIOB Mr Geoffrey Wright. Attendees included a ‘who’s who’ from the industry including Alistair Blythe – a senior research fellow of University of Westminster. Guest speaker was Dr Philip Ashton - Senior Researcher, University of Brighton. Andrew Schofield, the inventor of RoofBLOCK, and Lignacite Ltd, the UK distributor, have at last solved once and for all the age-old problem of roof overhang maintenance. RoofBLOCK - a unique moulded concrete block - looks set to revolutionise the construction industry! RoofBLOCK solves both the maintenance and the constructional problems associated with the current timber-based and PVC-U roof overhangs by totally eliminating all of the wood and PVC-U from around the edge of the roof, providing a superior level of weather protection on the exterior of our homes. Speaking at the Awards Andrew Schofield said: “I am delighted that the industry has recognised the possibilities that this product can offer everyone, from the developer to the one-off builder. This product saves time on the build, increasing productivity on-site. Over time its appearance improves with age, is unaffected by insect attack, rot and totally fire-safe. In high quality masonry it also has the same life expectancy as the roof and walls of the building – saving home-owners thousands of pounds in maintenance and a greater degree of safety as there is no need to climb ladders to paint or maintain the surface. As it comes to order in a variety of styles and colours it also provides a more seamless and attractive finish.” Barny Parks Head of Sales and Marketing at Lignacite Ltd added: “This is a great idea which has obvious benefits for both Housing Associations who are looking for reduced maintenance costs and House Builders looking to add value through aesthetic detailing.” The judges said: “RoofBLOCK is a significant building innovation that provides a solution to a long standing problem. It is well engineered and constructed from traditional materials with the potential for high lifecycle performance.” In a climate where the sustainability of resources is becoming increasingly important RoofBLOCK has social, economic and environmental advantages: Social advantages; RoofBLOCK contributes to safety by reducing the number of accidental deaths. Fifty percent of all fatal falls are from ladders while building or maintaining buildings - an activity that RoofBLOCK reduces. The product also improves the quality of housing stock. Economic advantages; In economic terms the cost is around 50% of the traditional alternatives. The manufacture of RoofBLOCK also contributes to the home grown £5 Billion concrete industry in the UK. Environmental advantages; 90% of material currently used for roof overhangs is imported timber stock. With 200,000 new houses built every year in the UK (55,000 in ROI and 15,000 in NI) it’s easy to see that RoofBLOCK is a revolution for the building industry! The marketplace has recognised that RoofBLOCK is ahead of its time, making more efficient use of to-days construction materials with its innovative patented design to increase roof overhang construction efficiency, minimising wastage on site and by making use of recycled materials in its manufacture. The buildability of the system is due to the integral design of the RoofBLOCK, which eliminates wasteful cutting of brick to form the gable walls and can be constructed with conventional bricklaying skills without the need for any special fixings. The resulting smooth finished masonry overhang ensures that all the main structural roof timbers are well protected from the weather, and with an expected 100 year life, results in a much longer lasting building. Lignacite Ltd is the UK distributor of RoofBLOCK. Top image caption: Andrew Schofield (Inventor of RoofBLOCK) and Geoffrey Wright (President of the CIOB). 01/06/2005