ARTICLES Something Old, Something New - Metal Retrofits Reinvigorate Existing Buildings Energy-Efficient Residential Metal Roofing - by National Geographic Immortalizing Sabah's Heritage in 'Colonial Townships in Sabah: West Coast' Technical Factory Visits - Book your date with us, now! Need more info?

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Something Old, Something New - Metal Retrofits Reinvigorate Existing Buildings
As the nation’s building stock ages and a tight economy limits new construction, there is great potential in retrofit projects. Particularly with government, institutional and education buildings, where long-term operational quality and durability are of vital importance, owners and communities seek solutions to get the most possible use out of their structures.

Metal roof and wall systems are well-suited to retrofit projects and can add many years to the life of an existing building. That said, metal retrofits aren’t necessarily the ideal choice for every job. If a project has a short window for its return on investment, for example, the owner often will incline toward a more inexpensive roof system in spite of the fact that the roof will have to be replaced in 10 or 15 years. For those looking at a 20-, 30- or 50-year investment, however, a long-lasting metal retrofit makes a great deal of sense.

One of the reasons school and institutional buildings are so well-suited to metal roof retrofits is that they often have concrete, brick or concrete masonry unit (CMU) wall systems that are designed to last 60 or 70 years. Rather than constantly replacing a less durable roof system several times within that lifespan, it often makes sense to invest in a single retrofit installation that will carry through the performance life of the building. “When the wall systems are looking pretty but the roof is beginning to fail and the building has leaks all over the place, you really have to examine your choices,” Nicholas Ling, Managing Director of City Top Enterprise Sdn. Bhd.  explains. “If you have to put on a new roof, you have to decide whether to get the financial backing for a steep slope metal roof that gives all the beauty and performance you need or to just put a less attractive flat roof back down.”

UP ON THE ROOF

The metal construction industry has been taking on retrofits for some time, and has made the process increasingly efficient. “In the early 1990s, most of the retrofits we were involved with were made out of light-gauge trusses assembled out of galvanized members. You build a form on the ground and it lay it out, build a truss in place and set it up on the roof,” recalls Ong K.T,  Chief Designer for City Top Enterprise Sdn. Bhd.  “In the past decade, most of the retrofits we’ve been involved with have been post-purlin retrofits. Now we build in place on the roof instead of pre-assembling the system in the parking lot and setting it up onto the building. This allows greater versatility.”

The existing roof often is able to stay on underneath the retrofit metal roof system unless weight is an issue, in which case it must be removed. For example, if the old roof is saturated with water or near failure, it may have to be taken off.  “Usually you’re OK on live loads and dead loads. Most buildings that have a flat roof are very structurally designed in the first place because of the amount of weight up there, so it usually isn’t a problem.”

Water is another consideration. "Water is the number one enemy when doing a retrofit roof. You have to prevent water from getting into the building,” Ong says.

NO INTERRUPTION

One of the great advantages to metal roof retrofits is that the building often can remain in operation while the work is done. “There is no interruption,” Nicholas asserts. “Most schools like to do these projects when the kids aren’t there, but in most commercial, industrial or institutional buildings, buildings stay open. As long as there is appropriate safety for entrance and exits, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“That is part of the beauty of retrofit,” Nicholas echoes. “We’ve done a number of commercial buildings and nobody moves out. The only problem you have is noise. Sometimes you have to work around the owner to minimize noise.”

While the installation may only take a few weeks, the benefits of retrofit metal roof will last decades. Along with being made up of highly recycled and recyclable materials, a retrofit roof also adds a good deal of energy efficiency to a building and will save on heating and cooling loads in the long run. “In many instances, owners are putting in additional insulation and using the added attic space to provide better R-values for the entire building,” Nicholas says. “You also get reflectivity from our new solar reflective metal panels (i.e. roofs), which really helps.”

	Photographs of a building undergoing typical roof retrofitting works

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Energy-Efficient Residential Metal Roofing by National Geographic
Energy efficient roofs, sometimes called "cool roofs" transfer less heat to buildings, decreasing the need for air-conditioning, which reduces utility costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Cool metal roofing materials reflect a high percentage of the sun's rays and quickly release heat as it is absorbed.......

Click here to read article

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Immortalizing Sabah's Heritage in 'Colonial Townships in Sabah: West Coast'
Colourcoil Industries is proud to of become a co-sponsor in the production and publication of the recently launched book, 'Colonial Townships in Sabah: West Coast'. The book is just one of the many continuous collaborations Colourcoil proudly has with PAM (Malaysia Institute of Architects) Sabah Chapter. Guest of honour for the private and exclusive high-tea book launch which was held on 12 January 2012 at the Courtyard Hotel, 1Borneo was the Sabah State's Minister of Tourism, Culture & Environment, Datuk Masidi Haji Manjun. Also in attendance were PAM National President Ar. Haji Saifuddin Ahmad, PAM Sabah Chapter President, Ar. Lo Su Yin and other esteemed guests from the professional allied bodies, relevant government departments and private organizations.

The book took almost 2 years to complete with extensive research by the author on the 12 main townships situated along the west coast of Sabah, primarily selected as they were towns passed by the North Borneo Railway line which was a major factor for socio-economic growth of the towns. The 12 colonial townships covered are:

1. Weston	4. Bongawan	7. Kinarut	10. Tuaran
2. Beaufort	5. Kimanis	8. Jesselton (Kota Kinabalu)	11. Tamparuli
3. Membakut	6. Papar	9. Menggatal	12. Tenghilan

Guest of Honour with VIPs on stage after the launch L-R: Mr. Francis Chiu (Colourcoil Industries Director), Ar. Ho Jia Lit (PAM Sabah Chapter President 2010/11), Ar. Haji Saifuddin Ahmad (PAM National President), Datuk Masidi Haji Manjun (Guest of Honour, State Minister of Tourism, Culture & Environment), Ar. Yong Ming Cheong (PAM Sabah Chapter Book Committee Chairman), Ar. Lo Su Yin (PAM Sabah Chapter President 2011/12), Mr. Peter Wong (Colourcoil Industries Commercial Manager), Mr. Roger Ling (Co-sponsor, City Top Ent. Sdn Bhd Director)

Guest of Honour, VIPs and distinguished guests from esteem government departments and private institutions

As a local-based company, we are indeed happy that through this book, we are able to produce a tangible form of Sabah colonial heritage full of nostalgic memories featuring unique key architectural elements, which can be passed down to future generations to learn and further appreciate. It is our sincere hope that this will further inculcate a sense of pride within the hearts of Sabahans and awareness on the importance of preserving our local heritage and culture which we have inherited from our forefathers.

The book is available for purchase at the Borneo Bookstore on the Ground Floor of Wisma Merdeka shopping mall, Kota Kinabalu and at the PAM Sabah Chapter Secretariat (Tel: +60 88 232524/ email: pamsabah@gmail.com).

Press Release News Sabah Times, 13 January 2013
Other Available Press Release Articles (Click to view full Articles)
See Hua Daily	New Sabah Times (Bahasa Malaysia)	The Borneo Post

Once again, Colourcoil Industries would like to sincerely thank PAM Sabah Chapter and members of its Book Committee headed by Ar. Yong Ming Cheong, as well as the dedicated and very knowledgeable local author and graduate architect Richard Nelson Sokial for all their time and effort n making this book a reality.

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Technical Factory Visits - Book your date with us, now!
Planning an educational / training activity for your office or organization some time this year? Why not find out more about Colourcoil Industries and what we do? Just simply provide us your details and our friendly personnel will get back to you to arrange an exclusive tour of our state-of-the-art Infra Red production line and the high performance pre-painted steel products that we manufacture.

We welcome

●     All Government Departments, Agencies & Bodies
●     All Government Link Companies
●     All Private Companies and Bodies
●     All Educational or Research Institutions
●     All Registered Societies, Associations & Non-Governmental Organizations
●     Any interested individuals or groups, especially those within or related to the construction/
       property development industry.

E-mail us at info@colourcoil.com, or contact us directly at +60 88 496222.

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Need more info?
Whether you are an architect, engineer, developer, house owner or a metal roofing or wall cladding manufacturer, our marketing team will be most delighted to discuss with you on your specific product requirements.

If you wish to make a factory visit, obtain a free brochure or complete specifications and colour charts, please contact our courteous and friendly marketing staff by calling the nearest office or just drop us an email at info@colourcoil.com.

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