Liverpool apartments energised with help from Knauf Insulation

Residents of Marwood Towers in Liverpool are benefitting from improvements to the energy efficiency of their building and lower fuel bills thanks to the installation of Knauf Insulation’s RainScreen Slab BGV, as part of a major refurbishment and new build of the 15-storey residential tower block for the over 55's.

The scheme will bring rundown accommodation back into use, with the tower block refurbishment creating 81 modern, high quality apartments for rent, plus a range of communal facilities such as a courtyard garden, bowling green and outdoor gym. Willmott Partnership Homes, newly created by Willmott Dixon, is working in partnership with Liverpool Mutual Homes to deliver much needed affordable homes for the over 55 age group.  This project is part of a five-year framework to deliver 1,500 new homes and bring a further 1,000 back into use across the city.

Stuart Belfield, Operations Director at Willmott Partnership Homes, said: “Our aim was to ensure that the one and two bedroom properties were as energy efficient as possible, which helps to minimise operational running costs for the landlord and residents. We also needed to minimise the carbon footprint of the building. As such, we specified Knauf Insulation’s RainScreen Slab BGV as they have an excellent thermal conductivity – allowing us to achieve a U-value of 0.30 W/m2K.

“The RainScreen Slab BGV was installed to the full outer façade of the building and tied back to the concrete columns rather than the brickwork, in order to provide a stronger and more robust support for the cladding.”

Knauf Insulation’s RainScreen Slab BGV are lightweight and Euroclass A1 non-combustible and have excellent water resistance, acting as a further defence against the rain penetration of a building.

Independent Inspector, Bob Troughton, from WRT Consulting, said: “RainScreen Slab BGV is an excellent product; it is very easy to cut and work with, and it was the perfect product for this application – it will help to protect the building’s façade against the elements and help to keep energy costs low.”

The apartments have views across the River Mersey Estuary, the stadiums of Liverpool and Everton Football Club, both of the city’s cathedrals and Liverpool City Centre.

For more information on Knauf Insulation’s RainScreen Slab BGV visit: www.knaufinsulation.co.uk/products/rock-mineral-wool/rainscree... or for 3D RainScreen calculations contact our Technical Support Team on 01744 766 666 or email [email protected]