On the surface, the original roof over the East Coast Bays community gym and kindergarten looked like it still had some life in it, but constructed in the 70's from asbestos cement sheets, it was a potential hazard. Auckland Council weren't taking any risks and in February this year a new roof was installed by Metro Roofing.

As Rob Anderson of Metro Roofing explains, "As soon as lichen starts growing on an asbestos roof, it can remove the top layer and release fibre. The roof on the gym wasn't in poor condition, but it was prudent to replace it. Because it was Auckland Council, they jumped in and did it before it became hazardous."

Rob estimates the asbestos-cement Super Six roofing was about 35 years old and needed to be carefully handled as it was removed, before a new roof could be installed.

While removing the asbestos was no easy task, replacing it was not that simple either. Approximately 2000m² of Roofing Industries' True Oak corrugated roofing in 'Titania' was used on the job. True Oak was chosen for its superior strength and durability, and because it replicated the look of the original asbestos roof with its deep, wide profile and 'Titania' hue.

Rob says he routinely specifies True Oak for most Metro Roofing projects, from heritage restorations to new builds; "Aesthetically it looks great — it laps nicely and sits well."

However, from an installer's point of view it's the exceptional strength of True Oak that offers the most benefit adds Rob, "The rib is 4mm higher than standard corrugate, which makes it incredibly strong and far less prone to damage from foot traffic. We enjoy using the product and change people to it."

Rob says he had to buy some new machinery especially for the tricky job. "One of the faces was 80 degrees so we couldn't scaffold it, so we bought a 20m Manitou (aerial work platform) to do the job," he says. "And there were other challenges like building twin wall systems for skylights 13m in the air. We also had the gutters custom-made to resemble the old asbestos gutters."

Rob says that while the job was challenging, one of the most pleasing aspects was the way any asbestos danger was contained and seeing the end result with True Oak corrugated roofing.