Ecohomes Case Study
 |
| Products Used |
Crown DriTherm Cavity Slab 32 |
| Project |
Rural Zeds |
| Client |
English Partnership / Metropolitan Housing Partnership |
| Main Contractor |
Mansell Construction |
| Architect |
Franklin Ellis |
| Knauf Insulation Manager |
Matthew Prowse |
| “Given our own commitment to
constructing sustainable communities, we are delighted to be
involved in a scheme with this level of environmental innovation
that will set the standard for sustainable development. The use of
Crown DriTherm Cavity Slab 32 was essential in achieving 0.11
W/m2K in a 300mm cavity.” - Matthew Prowse,
Specification Manager at Knauf Insulation |
Challenge
A lot of housing
developments fail to deliver high standards of energy efficiency
and sustainability. However, at Upton a southwest district of
Northampton an eight year £41.5 million project is under way to
extend the town in a way that demonstrates best practice in
sustainable urban growth.
The plan is to create 345 traditionally designed houses and flats,
all designed to meet EcoHomes high standards and achieve a National
Homes Energy Rating (NHER) of ten. The development retains warmth
during the winter and maintains cooler temperatures in hot
summers.
The design team are using the ZED passive standards for airtight,
super-insulated building fabric, with heat recovery ventilation on
all buildings throughout the site. The effect of super insulating
the building results in a lower requirement for heat and power,
which in turn means that these requirements can be met by renewable
energy sources on site, resulting in significantly lower carbon
emissions and energy costs.
Solution
In phase one of
the Upton project, developers Mansells Construction specified
5,200m2 of Knauf Insulation's Crown DriTherm Cavity Slab
32 for use in 300mm cavities, using two layers of 100mm thickness
and one layer of 75mm thickness. Crown DriTherm Cavity Slabs are
semi-rigid or rigid slabs of non-combustible, glass mineral wool
with a water repellent additive and are 455mm wide to suit standard
vertical wall tie spacings, ensuring a closed joint with adjacent
slabs. Crown DriTherm Cavity Slab 32 has a thermal conductivity of
0.032 W/mK.
According to the Promotion of European Passive Houses (PEP)
document produced in 2006, to be able to achieve a zero carbon
home, we need to drastically reduce the U-value of a building with
roofs, floors and walls, all achieving U-values of 0.15
W/m2K or below. The inclusion of Crown DriTherm Cavity
Slab in the Upton dwelling's wall cavities reduces the wall U-value
to 0.11 W/m2K while also creating a 60% reduction in
carbon.
