For smart construction of large or hard-to-reach green roofs.

In principle, those familiar with the rules of the art can foresee a quality and reliable construction. The actual construction, on the other hand, may take some doing. Particularly with large roofs or roofs that are difficult to access, for example, the delivery of large quantities of substrate will be quite a job. At Fihuma, they know how to deal with this.

Located in Wijnegem, Fihuma has been a specialist in vacuuming and blowing away dry substances for more than fifteen years. Thanks to years of investment in high-quality machinery, the company now has no fewer than ten specialized blowing/suction vehicles, which, together with VCA-certified personnel, drive out daily to projects in Belgium and all the surrounding neighboring countries. That Fihuma also feels at home on roofs is evident from the materials that today form the core of its activities: roofing gravel on the one hand and substrates on the other.

Blowing Substrates

The larger a green roof, the more substrate is needed. It's logic itself. The more work it takes to hoist big bags up to the roof and then distribute the contents evenly across the roof surface. "With our blow-suction trucks, however, that same work is handled in a minimum of time," explains BU Manager Michaël Hoppenbrouwers. "We bring the predetermined amount of substrate up to the building in question, feed the hoses through to the roof and then pressurize the bulk truck. This way, we can easily blow several meters far and thus realize quite a lot of surface area and volume in a short period of time. The years of experience of our staff immediately ensures the right thickness of the layer and an even final result. That makes the following works
too simpler."

Blowing substrate also offers a solution for hard-to-reach roofs. "In such a case, most contractors resort to a crane. However, this is an expensive solution that does not necessarily ease the work on the roof itself. Whereas you can blow substrate perfectly even in such conditions. The only condition is that we can get to the site with our truck."

Also total partner

Green roofs have been an important pillar of Fihuma's business since its inception, and the company is not necessarily limited to blowing substrates. "For garden contractors who are not adept at laying green roofs themselves, we are happy to act as a total partner," Hoppenbrouwers points out. "After all, with more than fifteen years of experience in the field, we can take on the entire process, from design to construction. In addition, we are ready with advice from beginning to end, from substrate selection to subsidy application to maintenance." 

According to the rules of the art

At Fihuma, the construction of green roofs is done according to the rules of the art, with particular attention to proper rainwater runoff, the provision of sufficient buffer capacity and the overall system construction and finishing of edges. "When we are talking about medium to large roofs, and in most cases therefore public or semi-public buildings, fire prevention is an important additional concern," Hoppenbrouwers adds. "To prevent fire spread, for example, you have to work with inert materials such as gravel - a material that we at Fihuma are also perfectly capable of supplying and blowing - and the type of substrate is also exceptionally important here. Especially in this type of project, it therefore pays to work with a specialized partner."