From a beachfront hotel in Bognor to the world-famous flower show in Chelsea, and from heat exchangers to render, we look at the latest sustainable products and the places they're being put to use
Cladding maker Sto has supplied its StoTherm Classic external wall insulation system to Butlins’ Shoreline hotel on the beachfront at Bognor Regis in West Sussex. Hampshire-based PWP Architects specified the external wall insulation system because of its good thermal performance, high elasticity and crack resistance.
Sto (link below)
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 301
Insulation board
Insulation maker Celotex has developed an insulation board made of unreinforced core foam called Celotex T-Break TB3000. This is intended to provide solutions to thermal bridging. The product is available in thicknesses from 12 mm to 30 mm. The company has also launched an insulation board that can be up to 150 mm thick and has no visible seams in the triple stream foam laydown. Called Celotex Extra-R XR3000 it is targeted at cut-to-fit applications to improve energy efficiency.
Celotex (link below)
enquiry #302
Zero-carbon masonry
Lime Technology has launched a range of sustainable masonry solutions called Sumatec, which it claims can reduce the carbon dioxide emitted in the construction of the walls of an average house from 40 tonnes to zero. The range of Sumatec products includes compressed earth blocks and chalk blocks, which are said to be highly resistant and cost effective. Lime also says cast-insitu hemp-lime products are able to lock up carbon dioxide emissions within the wall construction and provide airtightness.
Lime Technology (link below)
enquiry #303
Insulation maker Rockwool has developed an energy-efficient conservatory that will be on display at the Chelsea Flower Show in May. Called the Garden Room, it has been designed in collaboration with garden designer and architect Barry Mayled and includes Rockwool insulation. The company says it offers a more efficient alternative to standard conservatories, which waste energy and increase fuel costs.
Rockwool (link below)
enquiry #305
Subterranean heat exchanger
Rehau has introduced a ground-to-air heat exchanger called AWADUKT Thermo in the UK. The aim is to offer a solution to sustainable energy requirements. The system consists of a network of polypropylene pipes that are laid around a building about 2 m below ground level and fed by a filtered air inlet column. The company says that because the air is first drawn by a ventilation fan through the pipe network where temperature is fairly constant, it is pre-warmed in winter and pre-cooled in summer.
Rehau (link below)
enquiry #304
Structural wall panels
Maple Timber Frame has launched an insulation wall panel system called SupaWall that aims to eliminate the need for central heating in timber-frame buildings. SupaWall is an interlocking insulated wall panel system. The company says it gives a building good airtightness properties, which helps to achieve good energy performance.
Maple Timber Frame (link below)
enquiry #306
Controllable facade ventilators
Passivent, the supplier of natural ventilation solutions, has redesigned its Aircool range of controllable facade ventilators. These are installed in the building facade to allow fresh air to enter or leave as part of a natural ventilation system. Aircool is also said to reduce the need for daytime cooling and air-conditioning when used in conjunction with mechanical cooling systems.
Passivent (link below)
enquiry #307
High-volume condensing boiler
Johnson & Starley has expanded its RENO series of domestic water boilers to include an energy-efficient combination boiler designed for large-volume hot water supply. Called RENO HE 37C, it is said to have a low noise level and easy maintenance requirements. Other features include a temperature stabilising programme to prevent excessive changes in the level of heat and a pre-heat option to improve hot water response time.
Johnson & Starley (link below)
enquiry #308
Recycled render
Lime Green, a supplier of sustainable building products, has launched a rendering system called Ultra Lightweight Eco-Render, up to 55% of which is made from recycled and reprocessed aggregate. The company says the material is reprocessed to form granules that encapsulate small air chambers. This method is said to offer up to five times more insulation than other renders.
Lime Green (link below)
enquiry #309
Movers and makers
The Specifiers’ Design Forum, an architectural think tank established by RIBA members, has launched a campaign called Specification IS the Design Process. The aim is to challenge the weakening position of architects in the design and construction process at the specification stage. Forum members say the campaign seeks to ensure more complete specification information to help reduce the risk of cost inaccuracies and project delays and push specification issues to the top of the architectural agenda. The forum will set up educational programmes and organise national conferences to raise awareness of specification’s role in the design process. The first conference will be held on 23 May.
An online tool has been launched to enable specifiers to check whether their project will comply with the new Part L of the Building Regulations. The free modelling tool www.playtheregs.com has been developed by the National Home Energy Rating scheme and the Construction Products Association. It allows users to change different parameters and key criteria on two generic house types and see whether it will pass or fail.
Steel producer Corus has funded a research facility at the Department of Architecture at Oxford Brookes University to test pre-finished steel-based cladding solutions and examine the best way to produce low-energy buildings. The company says the facility, called Corus Colorcoat Centre for the Building Envelope, includes equipment that tests building details for airtightness, advanced building simulation and thermal modelling facilities.
The timber promotional campaign Wood for Good, which is sponsored by the Forestry Commission and the Confederation of Forest Industries, has developed an online learning tool to offer architects and specifiers wood-related training courses on using wood in construction. This follows the rising interest in wood as a construction material because of its sustainability. The online education programme will cover 14 subjects including properties of wood, engineered wood products, sustainability and landscaping with wood.
South West Eco-Homes, a company set up by the Somerset Trust for Sustainable Development, has opened a home at Great Bow Yard in Langport which demonstrates how homes can be built and furnished sustainably. The home is said to be built complete
with renewable energy sources and energy-saving devices including sustainably sourced timber
surfaces, low-energy lighting, natural flooring and
eco-friendly paints.
Postscript
For further information on any of these products, visit the link below for our enquiry service and enter the relavent enquiry number or fill in the first-class postage reader enquiry card inside the back cover.
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Sustainability
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