Buckinghamshire, New-build Care Home

Brief:

The new three-storey facility would comprise sections made of conventional brickwork, and other sections composed of cementitious carrier board over a steel frame. Many of these latter sections would be protected by a non-combustible external wall insulation system.

As an organisation that has achieved B Corp certification, Kingsley Healthcare is committed to maintaining hight standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and governance. Accordingly, it placed considerable value on the social impacts of its project and the sustainability of the building’s design.

In addition to the external wall insulation, the new care home would feature a number of other energy efficiency measures including air source heat pumps, modern doors and glazing, low-energy lighting systems and a building layout that made optimal use of natural daylight.

Design and Specification:

Following detailed discussions between the project design team and Permarock’s technical staff, the following EWI system was specified:

• Permarock Mineral Fibre External Wall Insulation: Dual density insulation boards, mostly of 60 mm thickness, all adhesively bonded and mechanically fixed to the substrate;
• Permarock Silicone^Ultra K Finish (textured render).

Permarock Mineral Fibre Insulation is non-combustible, with a Euroclass A1 rating. When combined with Permarock Silicone^Ultra K finish, the resulting EWI systems achieve an A2-s1,d0 reaction to fire classification and can be used on buildings of any height. (In suitably designed systems, the same classification can be achieved when Permarock Mineral Fibre Insulation is combined with Permarock Mineral K-Finish, Permarock Brick Slips, Permarock Brick-Effect Render or Permarock Dry Dash.)

Here, the Permarock Mineral Fibre Insulation was supplied in boards measuring 1200 mm x 600 mm. Generally, they were installed to a thickness of 60 mm but other thicknesses were used as necessary to complete the detailed design. All insulation boards were affixed using a cement-based adhesive and mechanical fixings.

Permarock Silicone^Ultra K Finish is a flexible render that provides lasting weather protection, and which produces an attractive textured finish that helps inhibit mould-growth and the accumulation of dirt. As a result, it helps to minimise the need for regular cleaning and maintenance. It is available in a wide range of colour-fast shades and, for this scheme, the designers chose a bright white.

The combined system was designed to have a lifespan of not less than 30 years.