Smart sprayed: roof insulation with triple benefits

The old Deeper Life Church building in Lagos had long since reached its limits - the congregation had grown so much that five services were held every Sunday. It was time for a fresh start. The planning for a new church building in Nigeria's largest city with more than 18 million inhabitants began over ten years ago. A project of this size - the auditorium was to accommodate 35,000 believers in future - entails a multitude of requirements. Some of these concerned in particular the insulation of the roof on an area of 3,000 sqm. Of course, efficient climate management was a top priority - for several reasons: Church visitors should always find a pleasant atmosphere, while at the same time keeping energy costs as low as possible. In addition, the energy supply in Nigeria is still not 100% reliable. This made it all the more important for the building to remain usable without air conditioning. Absolute watertightness was another criterion: During the rainy season from April to October, around 1,300 mm of rainfall falls in Lagos. Last but not least, acoustics play an important role in a church building - the third task of the insulation was to optimise them by minimising the reverberation and suppressing external noise.
In the search for a material that could achieve all this, Elastospray® was chosen. Spray insulation from BASF has recently been successfully used in other Nigerian construction projects, including hotel and office buildings. Thanks to the spray technology used, the material forms an absolutely flat and gapless insulating layer without any thermal bridges. In addition to the wide range of product properties, BASF's range of services is also impressive: BASF offers its customers comprehensive technical support in the application.

The correct application of the spray foam insulation is decisive for a flat, gapless insulation layer and thus for subsequent performance. BASF therefore supports its customers with know-how and concrete application aids. 

For the main auditorium, it took exactly one month. The height of the building in particular proved to be a challenge. Not only did the workers have to be trained accordingly - the exposed position on the flat roof also meant that high wind speeds had to be taken into account. In order to ensure safety and at the same time to keep the timing, most of the work was therefore done in the early morning and late evening hours.

For the main auditorium, it took exactly one month. The height of the building in particular proved to be a challenge. Not only did the workers have to be trained accordingly - the exposed position on the flat roof also meant that high wind speeds had to be taken into account. In order to ensure safety and at the same time to keep the timing, most of the work was therefore done in the early morning and late evening hours.

The church and the entire congregation are very proud of the result. The Deeper Life Church has - as it stands today - the fourth largest church auditorium in the world, which holds 35,000 faithful. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo spoke at the inauguration of the new building in April and praised the building and everyone involved. Church representatives are particularly enthusiastic about the acoustics - there is absolutely nothing to be heard in the interior, for example, of the heavy rain that often falls over Lagos at this time of year. A second construction phase is to be completed shortly using the same technology. And word has got around: Many other churches are also interested in roof insulation with Elastospray®.