| Schöck thermal breaks used for energy efficiency |
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Posted: Friday, November 20, 2009 8:21 am
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A large-scale residential and mixed use scheme is well under way at Larden Road, in Acton, West London. It is on the 2.4 hectare site of the former Prestolite Factory and the £71m development involves new build, conversion and alterations; combining a contemporary mix of brick, render, coloured glazing and timber materials to produce a robust and sustainable new build solution. A further requirement is the retention of key aspects of the original factory buildings.
 The new units range in height between two and eight storeys and the construction will provide 499 residential dwellings – 375 affordable housing and 124 for sale – plus a 500m2 commercial space which will include a doctors surgery, a cafe and retail units.
Landscaping for shared spaces, play areas and communal green spaces is a key feature of the development; as is the proviso that the project will generate 10% of its energy use by renewable means, using open-loop ground source heat pumps and micro wind turbines. The development also features both Combined Heat and Power and community heating in accordance with the Mayor of London’s energy hierarchy.
Attention to energy efficiency continues with the design of the façade connections, which incorporate almost 1800 Isokorb® thermal break modules from market leaders Schöck. Construction elements projecting through the building envelope, such as balconies and other cantilever connections – and which break the insulation layer in the process –– are notorious for creating thermal bridges. This is where materials that are poor insulators allow heat to flow through the path created and out of the structure. The result is substantial local heat loss, resulting not only in more energy being required to maintain the internal temperature of the building, but unacceptable levels of CO2 emissions as well.  While these are very important aspects of thermal bridging, there is also a serious issue as far as building occupiers are concerned. Low internal surface temperatures in the area of the thermal bridge can cause serious condensation if they are below the dew point of the air. This in turn can lead not only to structural integrity problems, but the occurrence of mould growth too, which has serious implications for occupants in the form of respiratory problems.
 Specifically it is the Isokorb® types K and KS that are designed into the Larden Road project. The type K enables a thermally insulated load-bearing connection to be made between external reinforced concrete components and the building. It offers simple "drop-in" installation and is manufactured from stainless steel and high density microfibre reinforced concrete.
The Type KS works on the same principle, but enables connection to be made between external reinforced concrete and steel construction components. The module can be fine tuned and adjusted to optimise fitting tolerance and the stainless steel finish ensures corrosion protection. Different types ensure the transmission of shear, bending moment and tension, as well as compression.
Isokorb® modules meet full compliance with the relevant UK building regulations. These require that the temperature factor used to indicate condensation risk (fRSI), as described in BRE IP1/06 – a document cited in Building Regulations Approved Documents Part L1 and L2 and Section 6 in Scotland – must be greater than, or equal, to 0.75 for dwellings, residential buildings and schools. With the  type K and KS Isokorb® the temperature factor (fRSI) is in excess of 0.91 in both cases. Furthermore it enables optimum compliance with the Building Regulations Approved Documents by using numerical modelling to calculate the building’s energy performance.
There is also compliance with the Government Standard Assessment Procedure, SAP 2005, concerning CO2 emissions from buildings, and respectively heat losses through non-repeating thermal bridges. Here, the λ-values of the Schöck Isokorb® enables energy loss through balconies, canopies and other cantilever parts of buildings to be reduced by as much as 84% to 91%.
In addition to its exceptional thermal performance ratings, the Schöck Isokorb® range is also unique on two counts. It is the only range to provide thermal break solutions for connections between concrete-to-concrete, concrete-to-steel and steel-to-steel – and it is also able to offer BBA Certification for the concrete-to-concrete and concrete-to-steel ranges, with steel-to-steel imminent.
A 20 page ‘Specifiers Handbook‘ is available which provides an overview and introduction to the Schöck Isokorb®., and there is a comprehensive 236 page ‘Technical Guide’ which displays in detail the complete range of thermal break applications for all construction types – concrete-to-concrete, concrete-to-steel, steel-to-steel and concrete-to-timber.
For further information about services from Schöck, or to request a free copy of the Specifiers Guide and / or Technical Guide; contact Schöck Ltd on: tel: 0845 241 3390; fax: 0845 241 3391 or visit www.schoeck.co.uk |
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