Protect Membranes: supplier of choice for flagship modular development

February 2020

Wall construction membranes, roofing underlays and accessories from Protect Membranes have been used by modular construction specialists Totally Modular as part of an innovative pilot scheme, built offsite on behalf of social housing provider Citizen in partnership with Coventry City Council.

Built in compliance with BOPAS, CML and LA Building Control requirements, the scheme involved the manufacture of a two-bedroom and a three-bedroom two-storey dwelling in light gauge steel frame, built in controlled factory conditions in Totally Modular’s premises. Four fully furnished modules were created, delivered to former disused land in Willenhall and craned into place before being connected together onsite. Taking just twenty weeks from build to delivery, time on site was reduced significantly in comparison to traditional housebuilding construction.  The pilot was deemed to be successful with the potential for roll out across Citizen’s housing stock where suitable land is available.  

A number of Protect products were supplied and installed in both dwellings to help ensure the management of moisture. This ensured condensation control and strict airtightness levels were met to help meet a minimum level of 4.00m³/h.m.² or lower. This included Protect BarriAir, an internal airtightness and vapour control layer to contribute to energy efficiency and Protect Zytec, a roofing underlay offering strong wind uplift resistance and good vapour permeability.  The roof structure also included Protect RediRoll, a universal dry fixed ventilated ridge and hip system and the Protect Eaves Skirt and dry verge system.   

Mick Pettitt, Director at Totally Modular commented, “Protect’s comprehensive package of solutions was the perfect fit for this project to help us meet the detailed specification, using materials that we know are tried and trusted.  In particular, the use of BarriAir helped to achieve strict airtightness and vapour control, contributing to an outstanding energy efficiency rating for both properties that exceeded Building Regulation requirements. Protect understood our needs and provided detailed technical support along the way, whilst ensuring our products were delivered on time to meet our busy schedule.”