New roof for 19th century town hall

This project gave a new lease of life to LEEDS TOWN HALL which was first built in 1853. Reclaimed random slates and new slates were used, and the work consisted of ten pitched roofs in addition to a large half dome feature. All materials, including lead and slate, were taken up through a lift five stories high and walked around the perimeter gutters, which was incredibly labour intensive.

The biggest challenge was using random-width slates, laid in diminishing courses on a dome feature. All of the slates had to be cut by hand with a slate break and a slate knife. The slates were laid over a modern breather membrane and quilt insulation to increase the building’s U-value without increasing the depth or build-up of the roof covering.

The difficult detail on this project was very well executed, especially considering the incredibly-difficult access.