UltraPly TPO chosen to waterproof cold storage site of Belgian potato processing company Agristo
Belgian company Agristo specializes in fries and other potato-derived products. They have experienced tremendous growth in their thirty years’ existence, a growth that gained speed in 2017 with the construction of a new hypermodern fries factory in Wielsbeke, designed to increase Agristo's production capacity by 50%.
Designed by Ghent-based OYO Architects, the new site not only houses a completely new production and packaging line, but also an extra cold storage area.
| Project ID | |
|---|---|
| Location | Wielsbeke, Belgium |
| Application | Green roof PV roof |
| Project type | New Build |
| Building type | Industrial building |
| Roof surface | 80,000 m2 |
| Product used | UltraPly TPO 1.1 mm |
| System used | Mechanically attached |
During construction, a lot of attention was paid to sustainability. A maximum reuse of energy was one of the main objectives. As a result, it was decided to use residual heat from production by applying a 'hot water smart grid'. In addition, cooling is provided by extracting cooling from the underfloor heating of the cold stores.
A sustainable system was also proposed for air-conditioning, using concrete core activation in the ceiling, a system that operates at low temperature and therefore combines well with renewable energy such as the use of residual heat. Night cooling is used to reduce cooling demand. In addition, reuse of rainwater is provided for all toilets and service taps. The collected rainwater from the flat roofs is channeled to the existing buffer tank for reuse in production. Finally, the flat roof of the office section has been fitted with solar panels to reduce energy consumption.
All these sustainable initiatives contributed to the building receiving a BREEAM “Excellent” certification.
State of the art cold storage area
The Wielsbeke site consists of different buildings, each with varying functions and different requirements. One of the most recent buildings is a refrigerated storage space, which can pose the risk of condensation forming in the roof. This condensation can penetrate the entire roof build-up, causing the insulation on top to become damp.
To avoid this, a vapor barrier was first installed over the whole roof deck. This was followed by an insulation layer and then the waterproofing membrane: Elevate UltraPly TPO. Its reflective white color, contributes to reducing the energy costs for cooling the storage area. The membrane’s high reflectivity also optimizes the efficiency of the PV-system in the office section.
Experienced Elevate Master Contractor MUTEC took care of the entire roofing work over the cold storage building.
