Rigidal Industries rollformed a major length of roof-sheeting for the prestigious Dubai International Convention Centre (DICC) project, and in doing so secured a company first.

It was also the first time that a roofing system of such complexity had been manufactured in the Middle East, according to Phil Ellerby, general manager of Rigidal.

The DICC project has enhanced Rigidal Industries' reputation of being the premier roof and cladding system supplier in the Middle East, he says.

The company's flagship Rigidal Ziplok roofing system is a state-of-the-art standing seam system supported on extruded aluminium halters, says Ellerby.

"There are no exposed penetrations of the roof sheet as it is clipped onto the halter supports and then mechanically zipped into the adjacent sheet," he explains. "No fastener penetrations means a significant reduction in the possibility of leakage."

He continues: "The second major design characteristic of the product is its ability to be site rollformed to exactly suit the building length and hence single sheets can be produced and installed at the site without needing longitudinal joints."

The roof sheet required for the project was, in certain areas, nearly 90 m long, to be supplied as one piece at roof level.

In conjunction with premier cladding sub-contractor Mosaco Contracting, a scaffolding platform was erected adjacent to the convention centre car park (which was also under construction) and the site roll-form facility was positioned on the structure. This allowed all site rollforming of Rigidal roof sheets in one length, from outside the convention centre through the sixth floor of the car park and straight on to the convention centre roof.

Rigidal Industries has enjoyed a working relationship of more than two decades with Mosaco Contracting, and this relationship was further enhanced on the DICC project, as substantial cladding expertise was required to install the complex acoustic and thermally-insulated Rigidal Ziplok systems.

"We were delighted with the assistance provided by Mosaco Contracting during the manufacture of this prestigious project. They are a truly professional roofing system installer," he says.

Another interesting aspect of the roof construction was the need for a very high level of acoustic insulation due to the end use of the building. Rigidal Industries completed the theoretical roof design calculation to exceed the stringent requirements of the project. To ensure practical acceptability of the theory, a 20 sq m section of the finished roof construction was then built at the Acoustics Department of the University of Salford in the UK, which performed exacting acoustic tests across a full range of sound frequencies to ensure that the practical capability of the finished system matched its theoretical design.

Two full independent tests were carried out by the university's Acoustic Department and on each occasion, the results for the Rigidal Ziplok roofing system significantly exceeded the design requirements for the project, says Ellerby.

In addition to the convention centre building, the adjacent concourse used the same roofing system design, which involved a total of more than 21,000 sq of Rigidal Ziplok.

The site also contains exhibition halls, the Mutaqa building and associated hotels. These buildings were also supplied with Rigidal insulated composite panels, which are produced in its unique on-line manufacturing facility in Rashidiya.

The total area for these additional sites was 20,000 sq m and the installation of the composite panels for the associated buildings was once again carried out by the expert services of Mosaco Contracting.

"Overall the DICC project was a great success and we are very proud to be associated with this project," concludes Ellerby.