Local Authority Research Results

Detailed here are just some of the comments that the local authority research carried out by MAC generated:

“Knowing what I know now about mastic asphalt, I will certainly look for more opportunities to specify it.”

“The fact that mastic asphalt is only ever installed by trained craftsmen is certainly appealing. You can have the best designed system in the world, but this counts for nothing if the quality of installation is not up to scratch!”

The trade body carried out the research by surveys and in-depth interviews with local authorities UK-wide to gain a greater understanding of the awareness, perceptions and attitudes towards mastic asphalt and specifying waterproofing products in general.

Mastic asphalt is a versatile, durable, sustainable waterproofing system with a wide range of applications across roofing and green roofing, flooring, balconies, paving, heritage and other waterproofing projects. Carbon neutral, fully recyclable and UK manufactured, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) has officially stated that asphalt is capable of lasting up to 60 years, but MAC has many examples well in excess of this. Key findings from the research have indicated that local authorities have previously tended to focus on the operational side of buildings, but the focus has shifted so the embodied carbon of a product is becoming increasingly important in terms of how it is manufactured, delivered and installed. With global supply chains being as fragile as they are, respondents said they preferred to specify products which are manufactured in the UK.

Respondents also indicated that with so many new products continually entering the market, it is difficult to know if they will perform as the manufacturers say they will, so proven materials which are tried and tested provide the reassurance needed. They also said that with budgets being cut year on year, they are increasingly looking to specify products that offer better durability and lower costs over the lifetime of a building.

Malcolm Grinstead, Director of MAC said:

“The survey has given us some really useful data and findings about how and why local authority specifiers choose the waterproofing products that they do. It also allowed us to communicate some important benefits about mastic asphalt such as its carbon neutrality and recyclability, life cycle cost benefits, fire performance and its versatility and suitability for other projects such as flooring. Typically, mastic asphalt is perceived as just a heavy-duty roofing product, but its versatility extends way beyond this.”

“I previously had a simplistic view that mastic asphalt was more expensive than other options. So it’s really surprising to learn that it’s life-cycle costs are actually significantly lower.”

“It’s really interesting to know the variety of applications that mastic asphalt can be used for, far more than I was aware of before. And the fact that you can also achieve decorative finishes on internal flooring is a real bonus!”

“I wasn’t aware that mastic asphalt is independently accredited to last over 60 years. This reliability would certainly help to reduce the cyclical repairs that are needed on buildings, which in turn will help make our budgets go further. Our clients certainly take a lot of notice of this kind of thing.”