PITCHED ROOFING
Pasquill brings roof to
life for Persimmon Homes
The 3D visibility settings of Pasquill’s cutting-edge design software system have brought a complicated roofi ng
scheme to life on the screen and helped to speed up the design process at a large mixed-use site in Weston-
Super-Mare, for Persimmon Homes. RCI fi nds out more
The Quadrant is the name of a
development of apartments and
retail space for which Pasquill
has manufactured and supplied
roof trusses, spandrel panels and ancillary
timbers across a 1,400m² three-storey
building.
The development’s complex roof
features fi ve different pitches, with
the main section taking the form of an
asymmetric raised tie, spread across an
area typically equivalent to that of 50
detached houses. In total, Pasquill has
provided 557 trusses and 206 spandrel
panels for the project.
Pasquill took initial non-detailed
Above: Pasquill
has supplied
roof trusses,
spandrel
panels and
ancillary
timbers for
The Quadrant
development
in Weston-
Super-Mare..
Left: A 3D
view of the
complex roof,
which featured
fi ve di erent
pitches
sketches provided by the scheme’s
architect and used its design software
system to develop building section
layouts with fully dimensioned details.
This highlighted all wall levels, so that
other supply chain partners, including
the timber frame supplier involved, could
work easily from them.
The design software system also
facilitates BIM compatibility, by means
of fi le exports generated, which can be
easily emailed and opened on a variety
of smartphones and tablet devices. This
means that a roof model can quickly
and easily be shared with the company’s
supply chain partners. The approach is
especially useful on very complex roof
designs, because it really helps customers
see the proposed solution clearly.
The system also facilitates auto framing,
as when building dimensions are edited,
a roof is re-framed automatically. With the
entire roof being designed simultaneously,
this means each element of the roof is
taking into account any adjacent members
being supported on it.
Creating the drawings for a project
as large as The Quadrant was quite a
challenge and suppling the volume of
trusses and spandrels needed to keep up
with the speed of the timber frame build
on-site, required constant liaison between
Pasquill’s production team and the
scheme’s site manager. Over 20 deliveries
to the site were made from Pasquill’s
Stoney Stanton manufacturing location
over a four-week period, despite delivery
restrictions created by the close proximity
of a school.
Commenting on the project, Persimmon
Homes’ materials buyer, Andy Wood
said: “It was invaluable to have Pasquill’s
designers take our original elevations and
come up with solutions for us.
“It was particularly helpful to be able
to see the company’s
suggested designs in
the 3D easy to view
confi guration that the
company’s software
facilitates. The order
was placed based
on previous service
levels, including the high standard of
designs produced, as well as speedy design
turnaround, and on-site assistance.”
On-site support was provided at each
step of the building process by Pasquill.
Jonathan Hassall, the company’s design
offi ce manager, said: “I attended the site
on a regular basis to see how work was
progressing and to answer any queries
that arose, as the building was being
erected. The challenge on this project
was the scale of the building and the
complex nature of the intersecting roof
planes and eaves details. Our design
software system enabled me to visualise
the roof as it was being designed, in
order to create the most cost-effective
solution for the client and factoryfriendly
design for manufacture.
“The design and drawings took three
weeks to complete, whereas without the
software it would have taken at least twice
that amount of time. The ability to see
the roof in 3D, whilst building the frames
was a great help in setting out the trusses,
as was using live sections to measure
spandrel panel heights and positions.”
w www.pasquill.co.uk
90 www.rcimag.co.uk July 2018
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