Structural insulation was of particular importance, as it was crucial that the new building’s thermal performance created the ideal learning environment. For this reason, specifiers chose Celotex CW4000 insulation boards.
The Richard Rose Central Academy is part of Cumbria County Council’s Academies programme, which will see £100 million invested into four new facilities. The programme has an emphasis on raising attainment levels through the creation of 21st century buildings and learning facilities for children, young people and their families. The schemes are key to the wider regeneration of Cumbria and will be achieved by Cumbria County Council working with partner agencies to deliver the national ‘Every Child Matters vision’.
One of a pair of academies in Carlisle, the Richard Rose Central Academy, built by main contractor Kier Construction, is the flagship educational establishment in Cumbria. A three storey building, located on a 2.6 hectare site, it caters for 1,500 students. The building has been designed around a main atrium space which is bounded on both sides by teaching accommodation and traversed by wide feature staircases and bridge links. Externally, materials were chosen to ensure the building blended with the local vernacular. This included pale red sandstone and mixed red brickwork.
To provide efficient insulation, Celotex CW4000 polyisocyanurate (PIR) boards were specified for use in the cavity walls.
Celotex CW4000 is designed for partial fill cavity wall insulation. Featuring a low emissivity foil facing, it is manufactured from rigid PIR boards and uniquely reinforced with glass fibre. Incredibly efficient, they continually prove be more effective per mm than many other insulation materials. The boards are lightweight and easy to cut to shape. Their installation is also simple as they fit between wall ties using cavity tie clips for retention, making installation swift for the brickwork contractor.
The insulation boards are an established and proven means of minimising heating needs – thereby reducing the UK’s carbon footprint, 60% of which is a direct result of the built environment. Their independently tested low emissivity foil facers give improved insulation within cavity air spaces. Combined with the low thermal conductivity of the PIR foam boards, this proves highly effective at keeping the cold out and the warmth in. they also provide an air and moisture barrier in cavities.
Celotex was the first PIR insulation to achieve an A+ rating when compared to the BRE Green Guide 2008 and its products have been specified on some of the most prestigious projects in the UK. Offering proven long term energy savings along with ease of installation and specification, they are being seen as the natural choice for the creation of thermally efficient buildings.
Due for completion at the end of December 2010, the Richard Rose Central Academy will provide wide ranging, modern, fit-for-purpose facilities which will revolutionise the way education is delivered in the region. Thanks to the performance of Celotex’ CW4000 the students will have the privilege of learning in a thermally efficient environment, providing them with comfort all year round.
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