Residential reclad, Manchester

Brief

The property was built with a lightweight steel frame and fibre-reinforced cementitious boards. Once the original cladding system had been removed, 4Solutions would install a new, non-combustible system that met all the necessary standards.

To develop a complete and detailed specification for the works, Permarock technical staff carried out multiple site inspections to check the condition of the structure and the sheathing boards. They also provided detail drawings, installer training, and support on issues such as colour choice.

Design and Specification:

The chosen EWI system comprised:

• Permarock Mineral Fibre External Wall Insulation System with insulation boards adhesively bonded and mechanically fixed to the substrate;
• Permarock Silicone^Ultra K Finish (textured render).

Permarock Mineral Fibre insulation is non-combustible. As a combined system, Permarock Mineral Fibre and Permarock Silicone^Ultra K achieve an A2-s1,d0 reaction to fire classification (EN 13501-1:2007 + A1:2009) and can therefore be used on buildings of any height.

The Permarock Mineral Fibre Dual Density Insulation was supplied in boards measuring 1200 mm x 600 mm, mostly in thicknesses of 70 mm. Other thicknesses were used as necessary to complete the detailed design.

Permarock Silicone^Ultra K Finish is a through-colour render that produces an attractive, weather-resistant finish. It has been used very successfully on a large number of high-rise schemes.

In several examples of real fires in British tower blocks, systems featuring Permarock’s mineral fibre EWI and Silicone^Ultra K finish have proven their ability to resist the spread of flame and to remain firmly affixed to the substrate. Some of these cases have been examined by BRE Global Ltd, which carries out fire investigations on behalf of the UK Government. In its 2016 report, entitled ‘External Fire Spread – Part 1 Background research’, BRE concluded that a Permarock Mineral Fibre EWI system actively prevented fire from spreading across the façade of a multi-storey high-rise residential block in Glasgow.