Location: Denmark

Client/Building Owner: Bertel Hestbjerg

System Manufacturer: Tata Steel Building Systems Nordics

Installer: John Thomsen

Colorcoat® product used: Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra®

Colour: Goosewing Grey (RAL 7038)

The building
Bertel Hestbjerg’s business, hidden away on a heath in the Hestbjerg area, is the largest organic pig farm in Denmark. Encouraged by the premium prices for organic compared to conventionally bred pigs, Bertel has expanded his farm in several stages. Most recently, he replaced the roof cladding on existing stables,
feed and machinery sheds, and at the same time added two new farm buildings.

The challenge
Bertel Hestbjerg wanted a lighter, more weather-resistant and attractive alternative to the ubiquitous fibre cement that can be seen on a huge number of roofs in the area to the southwest of Holstebro. The question was whether steel would be suitable for the new 1,500 square metre roof.

The solution
For Bertel Hestbjerg and his regular general building contractor, John Thomsen, there was no doubt that the roof should be covered in pre-finished steel from Tata Steel.

“Mr Hestbjerg did once try to have fibre cement laid on a large stable building,” says Thomsen. “He had to have it replaced.” “On the other hand, I had installed Tata Steel Colorcoat® pre-finished steel on a long straw barn 10 years ago, and I know it lasts well both in terms of strength and appearance,” John Thomsen continued.

Steel panels can match fibre cement even when it comes to these very wide gable roofs. “It’s all about placing the structure appropriately,” says Thomsen. “The sheets are 1070mm wide and easy to handle at up to seven metres in length. The largest roof surface is split into three, others into two, and the one-sided roof surface of the machine shed is made up of a single length of sheeting. It’s important to get started accurately, because the slightest misalignment can grow into metres over such large distances.”

Mr Thomsen takes personal responsibility for taking the measurements: “You have to know what you are doing, but if you do, you can get on with the job quickly. You can be up on the roof wearing knee pads without any risk of denting it. One reason why we could keep up a fast pace on the building is that Tata Steel’s delivery and support are so reliable. The sheets were ordered one week and delivered the next.”

“One reason why we could keep up a fast pace on the building is that Tata Steel’s delivery and support are so reliable. The sheets were ordered one week and delivered the next.” said John Thomsen.

Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra® pre-finished steel provides exceptional performance and corrosion resistance for building envelope applications. Backed up with even more extreme testing and real world global data to demonstrate the best combination of excellent colour stability, gloss retention and outstanding durability.

For farm buildings with humid internal conditions an ideal pre-finished steel product is Colorfarm® 15 by Tata Steel. This can be used internally combined with Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra® used for the external side in either an insulated composite panel or built up system to provide a robust barrier to protect the building from the harsh elements both inside and out and has been developed as an effective cladding material to meet the demands of agricultural buildings where excellent chemical and humidity resistance is essential. Recent testing has been
undertaken which confirms Colorfarm® 15 achieves CPI5, the best internal classification according to EN 10169:2010. Colorfarm® 15 is the only Colorcoat® product available that provides a standard guarantee for the interior of an agricultural building.

After the work was completed, John Thomsen says Bertel Hestbjerg was thrilled with the result. “He said it looks like a brand new farm”. Although the thousands of pigs inside create dust and other contaminants, and there are leaves falling from the tall trees surrounding the buildings, it looks great, and it will keep on looking good.