Skip to main content
Completed shed roof overclad at a UK container terminal
PROJECT PROFILE

UK Container Terminal Shed:
Coastal Roof Overclad

INTRODUCTION

The 10,000 m² shed sits at the centre of one of the UK's busiest container terminals and is integral to the terminal's importing and exporting operations. Its roof had reached the end of its serviceable life. Numerous short-term repairs had not stopped significant water ingress, and the fragile sheets made the roof unsafe to walk on.

The client, who had already appointed Starfish Construction on similar projects across its estate, asked us to investigate the structure and set out life-cycle options to make the roof wind and watertight. The result was a full overclad of the main roof and replacement of the canopy sheets, delivered in 20 weeks while the terminal kept working around us.

Speak to a Specialist
CONTAINER TERMINAL SHED, UK

Project Highlights at a Glance

  • Location: Coastal container terminal, UK
  • Sector: Ports and logistics
  • Our Role: Technical roof survey, option appraisal and roofing contractor
  • Scope of Works: Drone survey, 7,500 m² overclad of the fragile main roof, 2,500 m² of canopy sheets stripped and replaced, zed bar spacers, new insulation, increased gutter capacity and marine-environment roof sheets with A4-grade stainless steel fixings
DURATION

20 Weeks

ROOF AREA

10,000 m²

INVESTING IN AN ASSET
THE TERMINAL DEPENDS ON

The client is investing in the properties, facilities and infrastructure across its sites to keep the UK an attractive place for business investment. A shed at the heart of a busy container terminal cannot afford a roof that leaks, or one that needs constant patching.

Repeated short-term repairs had stopped making sense. The roof needed a long-term answer.

Starfish Construction won the tender on a combination of cost, health and safety standards on live sites and a record of working to tight deadlines. The brief went beyond a quick fix: the client wanted to understand its options for a commercial roof that would last.

Taking Time to Understand the Building

Because the existing roof was fragile, our technical surveying team carried out a drone survey rather than putting people on the sheets. It confirmed the roof was in a poor state of repair across its whole area.

Wide aerial view of the refurbished shed among container stacks and quay cranes

A costed, clearly presented proposal let the client make an informed decision, rather than committing to another short-term repair that would not have been cost-effective.

We recommended a full overclad as the best course of action and presented alternative life-cycle options alongside it. The coastal location shaped every part of the specification: future maintenance, increased gutter capacity, better thermal efficiency and A4-grade stainless steel fixings to resist corrosion.

Insulation rolls laid between zed bars over the netted roof as the new sheets go on

Our Expertise

OVERCLADDING A FRAGILE ROOF FOR A MARINE ENVIRONMENT

We overlaid 7,500 m² of new roofing system on the main roof and stripped and replaced 2,500 m² of canopy roof sheets. Zed bar spacers fixed into the existing purlins carried the new system clear of the old sheets, with 80 mm insulation, compressed to 50 mm, installed between the two layers.

The overlay turned a fragile roof into a non-fragile one, making it safer to maintain for years to come.

In total, 10,000 m² of marine-environment roof sheets went onto the main roof and canopies, fixed with stainless steel fixings to prevent corrosion from the coastal environment. Replacement steelwork was lifted into position where it was needed.

Vegetation in the gutter of the original roof before the overclad began
Green sacrificial netting laid across the existing fragile roof sheets
Insulation rolled out in sections over the zed bars ahead of the new sheets
Mobile crane lifting a replacement steel beam onto the shed roof
New grey marine-environment roof sheets running either side of an expansion joint
Completed overclad roof and canopies on the container terminal shed from above

    Working Within a Live Container Terminal

    The shed and the terminal around it stayed fully operational throughout, so our methodology had to protect both the workforce and the client's operations. Sacrificial netting covered the main roof area, with underslung netting beneath the canopies, and roof edge protection and Youngman boards gave the team a safe working platform on the fragile sheets.

    The works were completed with the building and surrounding environment fully operational and no disruption to the terminal.

    Materials were craned onto the roof in line with a roof loading plan, and daily liaison with key on-site personnel kept our programme aligned with the terminal's. Our health and safety approach was tested independently: the project achieved 100% satisfaction across three client safety audits.

    Sacrificial safety netting across the roof with the working container terminal beyond
    LEAVING A POSITIVE LEGACY

    A wind and watertight roof with a life expectancy of at least 30 years

    The new marine-environment roofing system has met the objective of making the roof wind and watertight, with a life expectancy of at least 30 years. The overlay gives the roof a non-fragile rating, making future maintenance safer, and the new insulation has improved the thermal efficiency of the building overall.

    By advising against the original short-term repair and setting out a costed alternative, we helped the client turn a recurring maintenance problem into a higher-value asset at the centre of its operations.

    "The shed is central to the terminal's operations, so the roof had to be made wind and watertight without interrupting the work going on around it. Daily liaison with the client's site team and careful planning on a fragile roof meant we could hand over a non-fragile roof that is safer to maintain, with a life expectancy of at least 30 years in a coastal environment."

    JOE HULLEY, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, DESIGN AND TECHNICAL, STARFISH CONSTRUCTION

    PROJECT SUMMARY

    • 7,500 m² roofing system overlaid on a fragile main roof.
    • 2,500 m² of canopy roof sheets stripped and replaced.
    • Sacrificial netting over the main roof, with underslung netting beneath the canopies.
    • Zed bar spacers installed into the existing purlins to carry the overclad.
    • Thermal performance improved with 80 mm insulation compressed to 50 mm between roof sheets.
    • 10,000 m² of marine-environment roof sheets with stainless steel fixings to resist coastal corrosion.
    • Life expectancy of at least 30 years.
    • 100% satisfaction across three client safety audits.
    • Building and surrounding terminal fully operational throughout, with no disruption.

    ROOFING

    C&I ROOFING

    Planning Roof Works on a Live Industrial Site?

    Our team surveys, specifies and delivers roof refurbishment and overcladding for operational commercial and industrial buildings across the UK. See how we approached another coastal site on our coastal industrial shed building envelope remediation.

    Contact Us
    View All Project Profiles