Developed by the region's largest housing and care organisation, Midland Heart, in partnership with Dudley Council and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), and regeneration specialists Frank Haslam Milan (FHM), Willowfields will provide 72 one and two-bedroom apartments available for rent, part-buy or outright sale and will include extensive communal facilities such as a restaurant, shop, craft and activity suite as well as a well-being facility.
The need to create a thermal efficient building before looking at the use of expensive renewables and add on technologies had led to specifiers adopting fabric first solutions using readily available traditional building products. Adopting a fabric first approach at Willowfields, the designers specified the innovative PIR (polyisocyanurate) insulation Celotex GA4000 to provide long term energy savings.
A thinner alternative to expanded polystyrene (EPS), the 50mm thick Celotex GA4000 was used in the floors of the houses. Fitted by contractor Frank Halsam Milan beneath the concrete screed they prevent any heat loss from the building into the cold ground. These durable and extremely lightweight boards, available in a range of thicknesses from 50mm to 100mm and a standard board size of 1200mm x 2400mm, are easy to cut to fit using hand tools making them ideal for a speedy application.
‘FHM is fully committed to sustainable community development and our work at Willowfields is testament to that’ said David Cartwright, Technical Manager of Frank Haslam Milan. ‘When it came to insulating the houses, Celotex PIR offered a thinner solution to expanded polystyrene and offered excellent thermal performance.’
Made from PIR (polyisocyanurate) with foil facers for improved emissivity, Celotex GA4000 achieves an excellent lambda of 0.022W/mK, helping the project meet the desired U-values. Meeting strict levels of energy efficiency, these products have been independently assessed by BRE Global and confirmed as achieving a low environmental impact, through its BRE Approved Environmental Profile. Celotex GA4000 has also been awarded an A+ rating when compared to the BRE Green Guide 2008, an essential requirement for any housing association.
Because of their carefully engineered construction, Celotex boards have exceptional longevity – keeping carbon emissions down for long into the future. On top of this, the boards hold low global warming potential and zero ozone depletion potential, making them the ideal solution for Midland Heart’s sustainable aims.
Thanks to easily applied Celotex insulation products, this high quality extra care scheme will play its part in keeping the nation’s carbon emissions as low as possible whilst creating a comfortable and warm environment for its residents.
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