Cost
What an ETFE roof actually costs.
Inflated ETFE systems can be installed for as little as £250 per m², with price varying on thermal performance, shading requirements, cushion sizing and complexity of the geometry.
from £250
per m², installed, for an inflated ETFE cushion system. That is a starting point for a straightforward scheme, not a quotation — the four factors below are what move it.
What moves the price.
01
Thermal performance
How many layers the cushion needs. A two-layer cushion is the baseline; three, four or five layers improve U-value and push the rate up.
02
Shading requirements
Printed frit patterns, tinted or reflective foils and multi-layer shading systems all add cost — and all reduce solar gain and glare.
03
Cushion sizing
Larger cushions mean fewer extrusions, fewer fixings and less installation time per m². Small, fragmented panels are the expensive way to cover an area.
04
Complexity of the geometry
A regular grid of repeated cushions is efficient. Doubly curved surfaces, tapering panels and one-off shapes cost more to pattern, fabricate and fit.
The saving isn't in the roof
Look at the whole build.
Comparing an ETFE rate against a glazing rate misses where the money actually moves. Because the roof weighs so little, the primary steel, the secondary steel and the foundations all come down — and on large spans that reduction is worth considerably more than the difference between the two roof packages.
Programme is the second saving. Panels arrive folded, are light enough to handle without heavy plant, and go up fast — which matters most on constrained sites and over live operations, where access time is the real cost.
Then there is the long term. ETFE is self-cleaning and non-stick, the foil itself has a service life of 75 years plus, and replacement components can be installed without craneage or disruption inside the building. Compare that with a lifetime of rope-access glass cleaning and reglazing.
Getting a real number.
Send an area, a sketch section and what the space is for, and you'll get a considered budget rate back from Lyndon personally — not a form response. Early-stage numbers are the ones worth having, because that's when the structural saving is still on the table.