Talk. Build 's Entries
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In her report, ‘Building a Safer Future: Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety’, Dame Judith Hackitt spoke of the need for a golden thread of information to preserve the design and construction information in a standardised format. It’s proposed that keeping a permanent record of the material composition of a building’s fabric, for example, will ensure regulatory fire safety and energy performance is maintained and updated in the event of alterations writes Simon Blackham, Technical Manager at Recticel Insulation. Dame Judith’s recommendation has been welcomed by the construction industry. Its implementation would allow all links within the building supply chain access to a raft of design information that will help bridge the performance gap which plagues the UK’s housing stock. Building products which are replicable perform as stated and maintain long-term quality will be crucial to upholding the golden thread and avoiding a post-refurbishment shortfall in energy performance, hence the need for insulation that fulfils the aforementioned criteria. Designed with the installer and end user in mind It could be said that Recticel’s high-performance full-fill insulation boardEurowall + was a product tailor made for the golden thread process, despite its development preceding Dame Judith’s report by a good many years. From concept to delivery, Eurowall + is a product produced with the applicator and end user in mind. The ease of its installation, which coupled with its innovative tongue and groove joints around its edges, meant Recticel was able to deliver a board with superb thermal properties that was able to be installed with consistent and repeatable performance on site. Whilst many rigid full-fill products are 97mm or thicker for a designed cavity width of 100mm, Eurowall + offers a 90mm insulation board to achieve similar thermal performance, at the same time avoiding impediments to conventional bricklaying techniques. The 10mm gap allows installers adequate room to ensure the boards fit tightly to a cavity wall’s inner leaf in a process that reduces on-site labour times, but improves the quality of the installation itself. The panel’s tongue-and-groove joint means it forms a secure tight lock with other boards, thus increasing protection against wind-driven rain and reducing convectional heat loss through gaps between boards. Unlike fibrous insulation solutions such as mineral wool which degrades overtime and slumps within the cavity, particularly when damp, in five, 10 and 20 years’ time Eurowall + panels will remain locked in position, performing as well as they did when first installed. Compliant products a must for futureproof properties Product stability and consistency are key characteristics for the creation of future proof buildings. It’s a performance which can be monitored thanks to the introduction of Building Information Modelling (BIM) providing a digital window into how a property’s performance tails off over time due to the changing composition of its fabric. Going forwards, if the golden thread of information is to command relevance within the industry, then products specified to insulate walls, roofs and floors must come with compliance in-built in order to guarantee performance for a number of years, rather than months. Time to act As with most good ideas, Dame Judith’s golden thread proposition is founded in good old-fashioned common sense. The fact that many properties fail to reach industry-required energy performance due to the quality of materials installed within the fabric ought not to be considered a revelation. Yet this poor practice continues. We can no longer afford to pay lip service to the demand for better quality buildings. Homes account for three-quarters of the UK’s CO2 emissions created by heating buildings; an unfortunate, yet unsurprising figure given that BBC analysis in 2020 revealed that nearly two-thirds of the country’s housing stock failed to meet long-term energy efficiency targets. If the UK government is to fulfil its pledge for mid-century carbon neutrality, then now is the time for the construction industry to take up Dame Judith’s golden thread proposal and run with it.0 Posted by Talk. Build
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By Talk. Build In her report, ‘Building a Safer Future: Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety’, Dame Judith Hackitt spoke of the need for a golden thread of information to preserve the design and construction information in a standardised format. It’s proposed that keeping a permanent record of the material composition of a building’s fabric, for example, will ensure regulatory fire safety and energy performance is maintained and updated in the event of alterations writes Simon Blackham, Technical Manager at Recticel Insulation. Dame Judith’s recommendation has been welcomed by the construction industry. Its implementation would allow all links within the building supply chain access to a raft of design information that will help bridge the performance gap which plagues the UK’s housing stock. Building products which are replicable perform as stated and maintain long-term quality will be crucial to upholding the golden thread and avoiding a post-refurbishment shortfall in energy performance, hence the need for insulation that fulfils the aforementioned criteria. Designed with the installer and end user in mind It could be said that Recticel’s high-performance full-fill insulation boardEurowall + was a product tailor made for the golden thread process, despite its development preceding Dame Judith’s report by a good many years. From concept to delivery, Eurowall + is a product produced with the applicator and end user in mind. The ease of its installation, which coupled with its innovative tongue and groove joints around its edges, meant Recticel was able to deliver a board with superb thermal properties that was able to be installed with consistent and repeatable performance on site. Whilst many rigid full-fill products are 97mm or thicker for a designed cavity width of 100mm, Eurowall + offers a 90mm insulation board to achieve similar thermal performance, at the same time avoiding impediments to conventional bricklaying techniques. The 10mm gap allows installers adequate room to ensure the boards fit tightly to a cavity wall’s inner leaf in a process that reduces on-site labour times, but improves the quality of the installation itself. The panel’s tongue-and-groove joint means it forms a secure tight lock with other boards, thus increasing protection against wind-driven rain and reducing convectional heat loss through gaps between boards. Unlike fibrous insulation solutions such as mineral wool which degrades overtime and slumps within the cavity, particularly when damp, in five, 10 and 20 years’ time Eurowall + panels will remain locked in position, performing as well as they did when first installed. Compliant products a must for futureproof properties Product stability and consistency are key characteristics for the creation of future proof buildings. It’s a performance which can be monitored thanks to the introduction of Building Information Modelling (BIM) providing a digital window into how a property’s performance tails off over time due to the changing composition of its fabric. Going forwards, if the golden thread of information is to command relevance within the industry, then products specified to insulate walls, roofs and floors must come with compliance in-built in order to guarantee performance for a number of years, rather than months. Time to act As with most good ideas, Dame Judith’s golden thread proposition is founded in good old-fashioned common sense. The fact that many properties fail to reach industry-required energy performance due to the quality of materials installed within the fabric ought not to be considered a revelation. Yet this poor practice continues. We can no longer afford to pay lip service to the demand for better quality buildings. Homes account for three-quarters of the UK’s CO2 emissions created by heating buildings; an unfortunate, yet unsurprising figure given that BBC analysis in 2020 revealed that nearly two-thirds of the country’s housing stock failed to meet long-term energy efficiency targets. If the UK government is to fulfil its pledge for mid-century carbon neutrality, then now is the time for the construction industry to take up Dame Judith’s golden thread proposal and run with it.Apr 05, 2021 0 -
With one eye on the UK government’s target for carbon neutrality by 2050, the construction industry continues its drive to improve the energy performance of the country’s housing stock. Indeed, the thermal efficiency of new-build homes is the focus of a long-awaited consultation relating to Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations. The codes, which relate to insulation and ventilation, are part of the Future Homes Standard (FHS). Due for introduction in 2025, the FHS will require new-build homes to be future-proofed with low-carbon heating and ‘world-leading’ levels of energy efficiency. Improved and more stringent fabric efficiency is among the FHS’s headline considerations. It’s proposed the unprecedented level of energy performance will be met by minimising heat loss from walls, windows, doors, floors and roofs, as well as by paying more attention to junction details. Putting a thermal seal on these elements will reduce the need for mechanical heat resources which fuel greater energy output. Heat loss from gaps around a window, for example, is greater than the amount that escapes from the window itself. This is caused by thermal bridging and the insulation failing to protect the element as a whole. Heat lost in this way is calculated via the PSI value method, which the Future Homes Standard review is looking to standardise according to different window types. Put a seal on performance gap If approved, a bespoke PSI value system for windows as a measure of thermal performance will doubtless increase the workload of designers and property assessors, but it must be welcomed if it helps plug a significant source of energy leakage and results in buildings performing as-designed. A well-insulated wall is all well and good, but its thermal performance will be nullified if windows continue to be a conduit to heat escape. The performance gap issue was addressed by Dame Judith Hackitt in her report, ‘Building a Safer Future: Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety’, in which she spoke of the need for a ‘Golden Thread’ of information to ensure best practice was upheld between all stakeholder links in the building supply chain. This, along with an upskilling of workers throughout the construction industry, was highlighted by the report as being essential to improving building standards and creating safe, thermally-efficient homes. Let’s hope all those involved in the building supply chain take Dame Judith’s learned recommendations on board. Solutions for easy-fit, long-term thermal performance Hard foam insulation products such as Eurowall Cavity or the full-fill version, Eurowall +, offer an effective, easy-to-fit solution to heat loss caused by thermal bridging in cavity walls. User-friendly, the Eurowall PIR panels match the height of a wall’s blockwork, thus eliminating the need for on-site cutting and resizing to result in a time and cost-effective installation. Eurowall + panels feature an innovative tongue and groove detail on all four sides. This means the panels not only slot together easily, they produce a tight-locking finish that minimises heat loss through thermal bridging and offer increased protection against wind-driven rain, as well as improved airtightness. Available in a range of thicknesses, Eurowall + can achieve a 0.18 U-value with a 90mm-thick panel in a 100mm cavity. To reach the same thermal performance with mineral wool, for example, the project would require a much thicker insulation. Therefore Eurowall + also helps reduce a building’s footprint; a crucial characteristic where plot size is limited. Design-out bridging issues Eliminating thermal bridging in wall, window and door junction details is a proven enabler to reducing a property’s carbon load. It is also enhances the health and wellbeing of occupants by mitigating the risk of damp or mould growth caused by cold spots. It’s a performance issue that ought to be addressed at the design and construction phase, but too often it reveals itself once the property is in situ and so the new-build-to-retrofit cycle begins. It’s a failing of standards that comes at a cost to homeowners and the environment and should not be tolerated if future emissions, as per the government’s 2050 pledge, are to be null and voided.0 Posted by Talk. Build
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By Talk. Build With one eye on the UK government’s target for carbon neutrality by 2050, the construction industry continues its drive to improve the energy performance of the country’s housing stock. Indeed, the thermal efficiency of new-build homes is the focus of a long-awaited consultation relating to Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations. The codes, which relate to insulation and ventilation, are part of the Future Homes Standard (FHS). Due for introduction in 2025, the FHS will require new-build homes to be future-proofed with low-carbon heating and ‘world-leading’ levels of energy efficiency. Improved and more stringent fabric efficiency is among the FHS’s headline considerations. It’s proposed the unprecedented level of energy performance will be met by minimising heat loss from walls, windows, doors, floors and roofs, as well as by paying more attention to junction details. Putting a thermal seal on these elements will reduce the need for mechanical heat resources which fuel greater energy output. Heat loss from gaps around a window, for example, is greater than the amount that escapes from the window itself. This is caused by thermal bridging and the insulation failing to protect the element as a whole. Heat lost in this way is calculated via the PSI value method, which the Future Homes Standard review is looking to standardise according to different window types. Put a seal on performance gap If approved, a bespoke PSI value system for windows as a measure of thermal performance will doubtless increase the workload of designers and property assessors, but it must be welcomed if it helps plug a significant source of energy leakage and results in buildings performing as-designed. A well-insulated wall is all well and good, but its thermal performance will be nullified if windows continue to be a conduit to heat escape. The performance gap issue was addressed by Dame Judith Hackitt in her report, ‘Building a Safer Future: Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety’, in which she spoke of the need for a ‘Golden Thread’ of information to ensure best practice was upheld between all stakeholder links in the building supply chain. This, along with an upskilling of workers throughout the construction industry, was highlighted by the report as being essential to improving building standards and creating safe, thermally-efficient homes. Let’s hope all those involved in the building supply chain take Dame Judith’s learned recommendations on board. Solutions for easy-fit, long-term thermal performance Hard foam insulation products such as Eurowall Cavity or the full-fill version, Eurowall +, offer an effective, easy-to-fit solution to heat loss caused by thermal bridging in cavity walls. User-friendly, the Eurowall PIR panels match the height of a wall’s blockwork, thus eliminating the need for on-site cutting and resizing to result in a time and cost-effective installation. Eurowall + panels feature an innovative tongue and groove detail on all four sides. This means the panels not only slot together easily, they produce a tight-locking finish that minimises heat loss through thermal bridging and offer increased protection against wind-driven rain, as well as improved airtightness. Available in a range of thicknesses, Eurowall + can achieve a 0.18 U-value with a 90mm-thick panel in a 100mm cavity. To reach the same thermal performance with mineral wool, for example, the project would require a much thicker insulation. Therefore Eurowall + also helps reduce a building’s footprint; a crucial characteristic where plot size is limited. Design-out bridging issues Eliminating thermal bridging in wall, window and door junction details is a proven enabler to reducing a property’s carbon load. It is also enhances the health and wellbeing of occupants by mitigating the risk of damp or mould growth caused by cold spots. It’s a performance issue that ought to be addressed at the design and construction phase, but too often it reveals itself once the property is in situ and so the new-build-to-retrofit cycle begins. It’s a failing of standards that comes at a cost to homeowners and the environment and should not be tolerated if future emissions, as per the government’s 2050 pledge, are to be null and voided.Mar 11, 2021 0
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Architects’ love of curtain wall cladding for its flexibility, durability and weather resistance has led to it being the external skin of choice for high-rise buildings across the globe. These external finishes are generally constructions of aluminium and glass, and whilst they are lightweight and durable, passive fire protection and preventing the spread of potentially life-threatening fire and smoke from one part of the construction to another can be quite a challenge. Fires in high-rise buildings generate large quantities of smoke that tend to spread vertically throughout the building, even if the fire is contained to only one room. When the gap at the perimeter edge between the floor and curtain wall is not properly sealed, flames and smoke will spread vertically to higher floors. Addressing these linear gaps by properly installing firestops maintains the floor’s fire compartmentation of the building. This delays vertical smoke-spread and reduces the risk of smoke-related deaths in the upper floors of the building. The width of these gaps can be quite wide to accommodate service movement and other design parameters. Sealing the gap The perimeter barrier firestops seal the gap between the edge of the compartment floor slab and external curtain wall. Due to project designs and site tolerances, this linear gap can be variable and sometimes quite wide, therefore the firestop system used needs to have a degree of ‘dynamic’ movement capability - compression and recovery - to accommodate serviceability movement. What is critical is the firestop system must do this in combination with the primary functional requirement, which is to maintain continuity of fire resistance between the compartment floor and the external wall. The installed firestop system needs to match the same period of fire resistance as the compartment floor. All firestop systems need to be tested to two criteria – Integrity and Insulation (EI). Integrity (E) refers to the ability of the system to prevent the passage of flame, smoke and combustible gases either through and around the material or through joints in an assembly; while Insulation (I) refers to a measure of the increase in conducted heat transferred from the exposed to unexposed surfaces of 180°C rise above ambient. These two criteria are critical in the development of curtain wall perimeter firestop products. The most effective products combine a number of material features - density, thickness, resin content, fibre structure and controlled compression - which together determine the resistance properties. When looking at the Integrity (E) criteria, the material chosen must be impervious to the transfer of flame and gases, easy to install with minimal site management and accommodate all real-world requirements at interfaces, joints and details. In order to meet the fire and smoke stop requirements in all external façade applications, the Certifire-approved perimeter barrier and firestop systems offer an unrivalled combination of fully-qualified performance, practical installation and service benefits.The principal function of these systems is to maintain continuity of fire resistance by sealing the linear gap between the compartment floors or walls and external curtain walls both horizontally and vertically. The systems offer tested fire rating options ranging from 60 minutes to five hours and can accommodate void widths up to 1200mm. In addition to providing an effective seal against the passage of smoke and fire, the products will also function as an effective acoustic barrier and plenum lining. Designability The firestop should be installed under compression and must have test evidence to show that it is capable of accommodating movement of a façade. It is imperative that the installed seal is able to function effectively with due regard to all designed movement serviceability limits. Curtain walling and cladding façade systems will deflect due to positive and negative wind loads as well as occupational live loads. These criteria are covered by EN 13116:2001. Typically, a project may stipulate that the curtain walling system may have the following allowable deflection limits: Under the declared wind loads the maximum frontal deflection of the curtain walling’s framing members shall not exceed L/200 or 15mm, whichever is less, when measured between the points of support or anchorage to the building’s structure in compliance with EN 13116. (Extract from EN 138300) These factors may inevitably combine to preclude the suitability and therefore, use of certain systems e.g. high density material slab products. Perimeter barriers must be installed to provide horizontal compartmentation at every floor level. Vertical cavity barriers should be provided as a minimum to fall in line with any compartment wall and more frequently if dictated by the fire strategy of the building. Products should be fitted tightly around all bracketry to restrict the passage of smoke. Where there is potential for gaps, the product must be sealed with a sealant that carries the same fire insulation and integrity rating as the perimeter barrier. All installations should be in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, and where fixing brackets are required, these should be fitted and spaced in accordance with a certified fire test report. Products used for fire safety installation should carry an independent third-party certification in order to ensure that the product supplied is the same as that tested. The gap between the slab edge and façade is often a weak point acoustically. Any products used to improve the acoustic performance must not contribute to the fire load or inhibit the performance of the perimeter barrier. Fire and smoke seal At the $135 million Al Fattan Crystal Towers, recently completed at the Dubai Marina in the UAE, fire safety was paramount in a development which houses hotel rooms, suites and residential apartments. With both vertical and horizontal fire compartmentation requirements, the specification of SIDERISE CW-FS 120 firestops provided the contractor, Cladtech, with a one-stop-shop solution that could maintain a fire and smoke seal in one product and could successfully fill linear gaps at the podium levels in excess of 300mm. For the two towers, Cladtech installed 12,000 LM of SIDERISE CW-FS 120 firestops including horizontal (floor slab) and vertical compartmentation. With the timeline on the project critical, the use of this dry-fix system enabled the work to be completed quickly and efficiently, ready for handover to subcontractors. Throughout the application, SIDERISE provided comprehensive support including drawing assistance, liaison with the authorities for approval, installation training and periodic site inspection and assistance. Whilst specifying the correct product is vital, the quality of installation is equally as important. Contractors installing lifesaving measures such as perimeter barriers and firestops must have adequate training on the particular manufacturer’s products and be qualified to install it in the first place. When it comes to saving lives and protecting businesses and property, a well-designed and installed system can make the difference. Visit www.siderise.com0 Posted by Talk. Build
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By Talk. Build Architects’ love of curtain wall cladding for its flexibility, durability and weather resistance has led to it being the external skin of choice for high-rise buildings across the globe. These external finishes are generally constructions of aluminium and glass, and whilst they are lightweight and durable, passive fire protection and preventing the spread of potentially life-threatening fire and smoke from one part of the construction to another can be quite a challenge. Fires in high-rise buildings generate large quantities of smoke that tend to spread vertically throughout the building, even if the fire is contained to only one room. When the gap at the perimeter edge between the floor and curtain wall is not properly sealed, flames and smoke will spread vertically to higher floors. Addressing these linear gaps by properly installing firestops maintains the floor’s fire compartmentation of the building. This delays vertical smoke-spread and reduces the risk of smoke-related deaths in the upper floors of the building. The width of these gaps can be quite wide to accommodate service movement and other design parameters. Sealing the gap The perimeter barrier firestops seal the gap between the edge of the compartment floor slab and external curtain wall. Due to project designs and site tolerances, this linear gap can be variable and sometimes quite wide, therefore the firestop system used needs to have a degree of ‘dynamic’ movement capability - compression and recovery - to accommodate serviceability movement. What is critical is the firestop system must do this in combination with the primary functional requirement, which is to maintain continuity of fire resistance between the compartment floor and the external wall. The installed firestop system needs to match the same period of fire resistance as the compartment floor. All firestop systems need to be tested to two criteria – Integrity and Insulation (EI). Integrity (E) refers to the ability of the system to prevent the passage of flame, smoke and combustible gases either through and around the material or through joints in an assembly; while Insulation (I) refers to a measure of the increase in conducted heat transferred from the exposed to unexposed surfaces of 180°C rise above ambient. These two criteria are critical in the development of curtain wall perimeter firestop products. The most effective products combine a number of material features - density, thickness, resin content, fibre structure and controlled compression - which together determine the resistance properties. When looking at the Integrity (E) criteria, the material chosen must be impervious to the transfer of flame and gases, easy to install with minimal site management and accommodate all real-world requirements at interfaces, joints and details. In order to meet the fire and smoke stop requirements in all external façade applications, the Certifire-approved perimeter barrier and firestop systems offer an unrivalled combination of fully-qualified performance, practical installation and service benefits.The principal function of these systems is to maintain continuity of fire resistance by sealing the linear gap between the compartment floors or walls and external curtain walls both horizontally and vertically. The systems offer tested fire rating options ranging from 60 minutes to five hours and can accommodate void widths up to 1200mm. In addition to providing an effective seal against the passage of smoke and fire, the products will also function as an effective acoustic barrier and plenum lining. Designability The firestop should be installed under compression and must have test evidence to show that it is capable of accommodating movement of a façade. It is imperative that the installed seal is able to function effectively with due regard to all designed movement serviceability limits. Curtain walling and cladding façade systems will deflect due to positive and negative wind loads as well as occupational live loads. These criteria are covered by EN 13116:2001. Typically, a project may stipulate that the curtain walling system may have the following allowable deflection limits: Under the declared wind loads the maximum frontal deflection of the curtain walling’s framing members shall not exceed L/200 or 15mm, whichever is less, when measured between the points of support or anchorage to the building’s structure in compliance with EN 13116. (Extract from EN 138300) These factors may inevitably combine to preclude the suitability and therefore, use of certain systems e.g. high density material slab products. Perimeter barriers must be installed to provide horizontal compartmentation at every floor level. Vertical cavity barriers should be provided as a minimum to fall in line with any compartment wall and more frequently if dictated by the fire strategy of the building. Products should be fitted tightly around all bracketry to restrict the passage of smoke. Where there is potential for gaps, the product must be sealed with a sealant that carries the same fire insulation and integrity rating as the perimeter barrier. All installations should be in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, and where fixing brackets are required, these should be fitted and spaced in accordance with a certified fire test report. Products used for fire safety installation should carry an independent third-party certification in order to ensure that the product supplied is the same as that tested. The gap between the slab edge and façade is often a weak point acoustically. Any products used to improve the acoustic performance must not contribute to the fire load or inhibit the performance of the perimeter barrier. Fire and smoke seal At the $135 million Al Fattan Crystal Towers, recently completed at the Dubai Marina in the UAE, fire safety was paramount in a development which houses hotel rooms, suites and residential apartments. With both vertical and horizontal fire compartmentation requirements, the specification of SIDERISE CW-FS 120 firestops provided the contractor, Cladtech, with a one-stop-shop solution that could maintain a fire and smoke seal in one product and could successfully fill linear gaps at the podium levels in excess of 300mm. For the two towers, Cladtech installed 12,000 LM of SIDERISE CW-FS 120 firestops including horizontal (floor slab) and vertical compartmentation. With the timeline on the project critical, the use of this dry-fix system enabled the work to be completed quickly and efficiently, ready for handover to subcontractors. Throughout the application, SIDERISE provided comprehensive support including drawing assistance, liaison with the authorities for approval, installation training and periodic site inspection and assistance. Whilst specifying the correct product is vital, the quality of installation is equally as important. Contractors installing lifesaving measures such as perimeter barriers and firestops must have adequate training on the particular manufacturer’s products and be qualified to install it in the first place. When it comes to saving lives and protecting businesses and property, a well-designed and installed system can make the difference. Visit www.siderise.comJul 20, 2018 0
