 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Recent Press Releases Excel Brings Viscocel to Hillhead: 28 March 2007
|
||
|
Sure Start Children Benefit from EVT Construction An Excel Building Solutions’ EVT construction has been used by Anne Thorne Architects Partnership in the design of a new building for a Sure Start project in the Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in London. The EVT solution delivers ultra-high levels of insulation and provides inherent protection against interstitial condensation. The Coningham Sure Start building has been designed to be highly energy efficient and uses construction materials that minimise impact on the environment, while providing a stimulating environment for children. The two storey construction features exciting angles, creating a dynamic building shape, and contrasting materials and textures in a child-friendly environment. It houses a reception area, nursery and ‘sessional’ childcare facility on the ground floor and a large multi-use activity room on the first floor, along with a staff room and storage areas. The upper storey of the Sure Start building features an EVT wall construction of 200mm timber frame studs, sheathed in Bitvent on the external side and Plasterboard with a vapour barrier internally, with the full depth insulated using Warmcel 500 high performance insulation. This produces a U value of 0.2 W/m2K, saving 49% more energy than the minimum building regulations requirement. The ground floor walls use a masonry construction to provide thermal mass. Externally, the building is clad with brick at ground floor level and locally sourced timber at first floor level. The building’s two sloping roofs are constructed from 300 mm deep Engineered I Beam studs, also insulated to their full depth with Warmcel 500, and sheathed with Paneline on the external face and plasterboard internally. Externally the roof covering is provided by a living green Sedum blanket. This construction delivers a U value of 0.14 W/m2K, producing a saving of 30% over the building regulations requirement. In addition to this thermal performance, the EVT walls and roof meet the sustainability credentials of the project and deliver a healthy internal environment. Warmcel 500 insulation is manufactured from 100% recycled newspaper, using a small addition of non-toxic compounds to provide extreme resistance to fire. Being a loose-fill material, Warmcel optimises air-tightness by ensuring that all air gaps in the wall and roof voids are completely filled with insulation. The sheathing boards are manufactured from wood waste, and Engineered I Beams are manufactured from flanges of slow grown Swedish whitewood and a web of recycled timber produced from forest thinnings and wood waste. All of the component materials of EVT structures are free from harmful or toxic substances, such as VOCs and CFCs; and produced virtually no formaldehyde emissions. An EVT construction, such as this, also ensures that any moisture that gets into the building structure (which happens in any inhabited building) always migrates to the external side where it is harmlessly expelled to the atmosphere. This action, known as ‘Enhance Vapour Transfer’ or EVT, ensures that interstitial condensation does not occur, thereby protecting the timber structure throughout the lifetime of the building. The EVT ‘breathing wall’ construction has been specified by Anne Thorne Architects Partnership in a number of innovative designs over many years, including the Positive Place health centre in Deptford, Concordia youth and community centre in Mile End Park and Warwick House new build public housing in Brixton, which is currently under construction. High efficiency underfloor heating is also provided for the building, which is insulated from below with Warmcel insulation.Complementing the environmental credentials of the building’s structure, the Coningham Sure Start is fitted with low ‘E’ double-glazing, sun pipes to maximise use of natural light, natural passive stack ventilation, low energy auto-sensing lighting, recycled ‘car tyre’ rubber matting in the entrance, minimal use of PVC, natural carpets and organic paints. Excel Building Solutions is a division of Excel Industries Limited and is the UK’s leading supplier of innovative building solutions. The company is the UK supplier of the Engineered I Beam Building System for walls, floors and roofs; the Warmcel range of high performance insulation; Panelvent, Bitvent and Paneline sheathing; and Sarket roof sarking. Together, these components combine to form the high performance EVT Technology Solution for walls, floors and roofs and the factory-produced TRADIS range of wall panels, floor cassettes and roof plates. In addition to building solutions, Excel manufactures a range of speciality fibres for road making and diverse industrial applications. - ENDS - |
||
