The roof of the Zenith de Strasbourg gets a new lease of life
The Zénith de Strasbourg in France can accommodate up to 12,000 people. Originally built in 2008, it needed a second lease of life after 15 years of operation. The Strasbourg Eurometropolis therefore launched renovation works in 2022. These concerned in particular the repair of the roof, whose bituminous waterproofing membrane was beginning to show its limits.
| Project ID | |
|---|---|
| Location | Strasbourg, France |
| Project type | Renovation |
| Building type | Cultural building |
| Roof surface | 10,000 m² (RG) + 7,000 m² (TPO) |
| Product used | RubberGard EPDM 1.5 mm + UltraPly TPO 1.5 mm |
| System used | Fully adhered |
The roof of the Zénith is characterized by its original architecture, with its dome above the main concert hall and a ring on the periphery. The GEORGES FISCHER ARCHITECTE agency and design office OTE INGENIERIE recommended the use of EPDM roofing membranes on the dome and TPO for the ring. Elevate’s RubberGard EPDM and UltraPly TPO membranes were chosen for the project thanks to their outstanding durability.
The project owner engaged roofing company BRIDAULT SOLUTIONS, who installed 10,000 m² of RubberGard EPDM on the dome and 7,000 m² of UltraPly TPO on the ring. A peripheral gutter of approximately 50 cm wide allows both membranes to easily connect to each other. In addition, 27 lighting vaults were replaced and 67 smoke extraction skylights were installed.
The RubberGard EPDM membrane, used on the dome, was fully adhered over the existing roofing system using a gluing cart. On the ring side, the existing bitumen and mineral wool insulation had to be torn up over 3,000 m² because the support was too damaged. The remaining 4,000 m² were covered directly with the UltraPly TPO membrane.
The marriage of the two types of membranes offered a harmonious aesthetic. It allowed the identity of the initial project to be preserved while highlighting the two architectural parts, the dome and the ring, signatures of the building.
The show must go on
BRIDAULT SOLUTIONS undertook the roofing works between August 2022 and March 2023. A crew of about 10 to 12 roofers worked on the site 6 days a week. As the Zénith had to remain open to host the various events, BRIDAULT SOLUTIONS installed an access tower at a height of 40 m and a freight elevator to operate only outside without disturbing the heavy goods vehicles that were unloading and loading equipment needed for the concerts. On-site storage was also limited, so EPDM SOLUTIONS, authorized distributor of Elevate products in the region, supplied the site gradually.
“The Elevate team supported us before, during and after the project,” says Denis Lardier from BRIDAULT SOLUTIONS. “They visited the site every month to check the installation and resolve any technical issues. If we had any questions, we could contact their technicians or those from EPDM SOLUTIONS, who answered our questions quickly. There was real collaboration, great after-sales service and permanent technical support which were very reassuring for us but also for the building owner,” he added.
