At last - a membrane that can really be called green
March 2022
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+44 (0)1268 777871When the industry talks about green roofs they are usually referring to designs that feature plants, sedum, landscaping or a combination of all three. These are being increasingly specified to compensate for the sheer volume of concrete that is taking over our towns and cities which in turn is contributing to flash floods and a poorer environment.
The Germans have long seen the benefits of green roofs that help to soak up excess rainwater and act as a good looking alternative to traditional flat roofs while providing an extra “lung” for urban dwellers - and this concept has spread rapidly across the rest of Europe and beyond. The downside, however, is that every green roof needs a membrane to keep the water out of the building – and it’s a sad fact that most membranes are not that green. They use bitumen’s and resins which are energy rich to manufacture and are not that environment friendly. Some use fillers which dramatically increase the carbon footprint due to the effort needed at the quarries.
It is therefore almost impossible to make a truly sustainable green case for a waterproof membrane and most architects, specifiers, contractors and building owners accept it as the price you have to pay to keep dry – but not anymore.
Proteus Waterproofing’s ground breaking Cold Melt® membrane is making the industry think again. Because Cold Melt® incorporates recycled rubber crumb and other organically grown products such as castor oil to create an elastomeric, seamless, cold applied membrane - it really is breaking the mould.
You might think that with all these organic ingredients then the membrane is probably going to offer little in the way of performance. You could not be more wrong. It is BBA
certified to last the lifetime of the substrate it is protecting and has other qualities which seem to make most other types of membrane look almost obsolete.
The fact that it can also be applied to a wide range of different substrates including concrete, asphalt and timber, and it exhibits extremely low odour, makes it ideal for urban environments – and even better, because it is totally seamless, it is particularly ideal for green roof applications.
Cold Melt® is clearly unlike most conventional membranes as it can also be laid over green concrete after three days, but this is not what we are talking about here. The fact is
that we really do have a waterproof membrane that ticks all those environmental boxes and in a construction industry anxious to display its green credentials - Cold Melt® is the one to watch.
