Project: Social Housing Refurbishment
Location: Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland
Sector: Walls
System: Stylite External Wall Insulation - PlusTherm
Size: 105 Houses / 10,000m2
Client: Clackmannanshire Council
Benefits
The Stylite External Wall Insulation boards offered the following key benefits to our client:
- Excellent thermal performance
- High compression and tensile strength
- Minimal water absorption
- Lightweight & easy to install
- Cost effective insulation
Problems
Clackmannanshire Council are currently carrying out necessary refurbishment and upgrading of its social housing stock. Through cyclical maintenance inspections and stock condition surveys 105 properties were identified as being constructed from Wimpey No-fines concrete. These property types have no wall cavity and therefore no insulation, resulting in an extremely poor thermal U-value of just 2.1W/m2K. The properties were also very unsightly having had no external maintenance for many years.
Client Requirement
Through the Housing Capital Improvement Programme, Clackmannanshire Councils objective is to maintain its housing stock in the best possible condition and to ensure that every household has access to good quality and affordable homes that meet their needs. Providing insulation to improve the thermal performance whilst also improving the appearance of these Wimpey No-fines properties were the priority.
Design Solution
The contractor, working on behalf of the council, specified an External Wall Insulation (EWI) system incorporating Stylite PlusTherm Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) insulation boards. These lightweight boards measuring (L)1200 x (W)600 x (T)90, were mechanically installed over the existing façades. Base coat render and a final traditional dash aggregate top coat were then applied to the insulation boards to provide a protective and weatherproof finish to the properties.
EWI System Designer
Result
The external wall insulation system achieved a low U-value of 0.3W/m2K to meet current Building Regulations. This level of thermal performance resulted in reduced energy usage and lower energy bills for the residents.
The final dash aggregate topcoat provided the system with a watertight finish and excellent weather resistance and an attractive façade that fully met the councils aesthetic expectations.
