Skip to main content

Re-Roofing Encapsulation

Bradfield College

Conservation Works

  • Freestanding

  • Busy Live School Environment

  • Grade II Listed Building
  • Weatherproofing

The Challenge

Bradfield College required the re-roofing of its Grade II listed Bloods Classrooms building, a structure over 100 metres long with spans reaching up to 26 metres. The works had to be carried out while the college remained fully operational, with pupils and staff moving around the site daily. This meant the scaffold needed to be completely freestanding, avoiding ties into the historic fabric, while still providing full protection against rain, wind, and snow.

The encapsulation also needed to ensure safe working environments for roofers and accommodate the delivery and loading of materials in a busy live school environment.

Adding to the complexity, the dock is built in stepped levels with restricted allowable bearing pressures, which demanded careful engineering of timber foundation pads to distribute the significant scaffold loads safely.

Example Quote about how difficult X was

DANIEL SELVEY

The Solution

A large-scale freestanding scaffold structure was erected using HAKI system components, incorporating a polygon roof to span the full building length. The temporary roof was engineered to withstand worst-case storm conditions, providing complete weatherproofing for the re-roofing works below.

The freestanding nature of the structure required careful consideration of stability and load paths, eliminating the need for intrusive ties into the Grade II listed façade. Collaborative planning between H&H Contract Scaffolding, Beard Construction, and the design team ensured that scaffold access points were carefully located to balance site logistics with school operations.

The Result

The encapsulation created a clear, unbraced working environment for roofing operatives, ensuring safety and efficiency while protecting the historic fabric of the building. Work was able to continue in all weather conditions, providing programme certainty and minimising disruption to the college. Drone footage of the completed temporary roof highlighted the scale and visual impact of the encapsulation, which covered the building seamlessly within the college’s landscaped grounds.

The project received strong praise from the client and contractors, with Andy Thomas of H&H Contract Scaffolding describing it as a “stunning project” and commending the collaboration between the site team, main contractor, and specialist suppliers.