Thermally efficient Multi-Therm polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation roofboard from EcoTherm® is contributing to the impressive green credentials of a new ‘eco’ school building in Darlington. Approximately 2,000 square metres of 120mm Multi-Therm are providing energy saving insulation in a sedum-planted roof for the new Northwood Primary School. Scheduled for completion in December 2009, the timber-framed building has been designed and built under the Government’s Primary Capital Programme using the latest sustainable technologies and materials and is expected to achieve an ‘excellent’ Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating.
The new facility for primary and nursery pupils is situated to the north of Darlington town centre and replaces the school’s existing Victorian building which will be demolished next year. The innovative, sloping structure with a patchwork living roof is the creation of engineering and design consultancy Atkins and was inspired by nearby allotments. The eco-friendly design also includes planted external walls by the main entrance on which children can grow flowers and fruit such as strawberries.
EcoTherm®’s 120mm thick Multi-Therm insulation roofboard was specified for the project by Wakefield roofing specialists, Lawson Peel Ltd, as part of a warm roof construction on a timber deck. EcoTherm®’s Multi-Therm is especially engineered for use with this type of roof as it can withstand the application of hot bitumen to the surface at up to 220oC. As a rigid PIR solution, the board also offers excellent strength to weight ratio and the highest insulation values from the minimum thickness of material.
Darlington Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Jenny Chapman, says: “I have recently visited the Northwood Primary School and spoken to the Head Teacher, David Ackroyd and some of the students. Everyone is very much looking forward to the opening of their new school. It provides a fantastic opportunity for children to learn about sustainable energy and looking after the environment. It is a very exciting time.”
Lawson Peel’s Director, Martin Adwick, says Multi-Therm ticked all the right boxes. “It met the project’s exacting specification in terms of thermal performance, sustainable manufacture and also durability, which means its energy saving properties will remain undiminished over the complete life of the building,” he comments.
EcoTherm®’s Multi-Therm PIR foam core roofboard is faced with bitumenised glass coated tissue on one side and plain glass tissue on the reverse and is suitable for built-up roofing and asphalt applications. The range is available in thicknesses from 30mm to 150mm, with thermal resistance (R) values from 1.07m2K/W to 5.77m2K/W. EcoTherm®’s PIR boards are also an environmentally responsible solution, offering zero Ozone Depletion Potential and a Global Warming Potential of 3, well below the target limit of 5.
Multi-Therm is supplied in 600mm x 1200mm boards that are easy to cut to size and shape with a sharp knife or fine tooth saw, and can be laid in a variety of patterns with break-bonded joints.
With production facilities across Europe, and a brand new high-capacity line at its plant in Essex, EcoTherm® supplies its product range in the UK through insulation distributors and builders’ merchants nationwide.
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