December 2018

December 2018

December 2018

AUGUST 2018

Insulation & Acoustics Doors & Windows

ROOFING & CLADDING SOCIAL HOUSING

External Envelope

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FIRE PROTECTION & SECURITY

ADVERTORIAL

ICYNENE SPRAY FOAM INSULATION FOR VAULTED CHURCH ROOF RESTORATION

BUILDING PRO DUCTS |

Contractors working on the restoration and modernisation of an early 20th century Church in Manchester, were faced with a difficult insulation challenge to reduce on-going heat loss through the double skinned roof above the worship area, comprising a ceiling vault, roof void and dual pitched roof over.

O riginally built in 1931, Christ

Church, on Parrs Wood Road, South

Manchester, had deteriorated over the

years and needed major restorative

work to bring it back up to an acceptable

standard.

Timber framed additions to the original

structure were nearing the end of their

working life and access facilities were felt to be

unsatisfactory. Consequently, Architects Mattin

MacLean of Buxton Spa, were brought in to

oversee the work which included reconfiguration

of the building, removal of the problem areas

and general upgrading of the Church, including

the installation of underfloor heating and other

essential services.

Part of the works involved insulation of the

roof void above the barrel-vaulted worship area

and semi-circular apse. Project Architect, Roddie

MacLean explains. “We saw heat loss through

the fabric of the building as a major issue. A

new underfloor heating system, driven by an

Air Sourced Heat Pump was specified, so it was

important to also upgrade the insulation levels –

particularly to the roof area”

He continued: “the problem we faced was the

curvature of ceiling areas. Conventional, rigid

board insulation could not be made to fit and we

couldn’t guarantee that layers of flexible, mineral

wool insulation would actually stay in place after

installation. We needed an insulation material

that would follow the curvature of the vaulting

and fill the voids created by the complex geometry

of the apse dome and roof structure above”

Spray applied insulation

Locally based Main Contractors, Armitage

Construction, brought in specialist insulation

contractors, Green Horizon Energy Solutions to

assess the project. They suggested a spray applied,

foam insulation system from Icynene.

Matt Lawford of Green Horizon takes up the

story. “Icynene is a spray applied system that

expands instantly on application. It’s specifically

designed to get into difficult to fill areas where

traditional insulation materials just don’t work. It

closes off gaps and holes, reducing air leakage, but

because it has a soft, yielding texture, it puts only

Christ Church, South Manchester

AUGUST

ADVERTORIAL

| BUILDING PRODUCTS

minimal pressure on the structure so its just right

for work on historic building like this”

Green Horizon used Icynene’s Foamlite LDC

50 system, which is an open cell foam that allows

the building to breathe naturally, resisting internal

condensation.

According to Icynene, air leakage is responsible

for up to 40% of a buildings heat loss and the

system’s ability to close off small structural

gaps and service holes, creating a “sealed box”

environment, makes it one of the most efficient

and cost-effective means of heat-loss mitigation in

a building. In this instance, the roof void above,

including the original roof timbers, remained

naturally ventilated

Icynene also points out that, unlike urethane

foams of 20 years ago, modern spray foams

like Foamlite use water as the blowing agent.

The reaction between the chemical components

produces CO2 which causes the foam to expand.

As the foam expands the cells burst and the CO2

is replaced by air.

As a result, Foamlite has a global warming

potential [GWP] of 1 [One] and an ozone

depletion potential [ODP] of 0 [Zero].

Furthermore, Icynene does not emit any harmful

gasses once cured and is completely inert.

Restricted workspace with difficult access

Access to the ceiling vault was one of the most

difficult challenges to the insulation process,

explained Matt Lawford. “We were on a very

near vertical incline at the sides of the dome and

had to manoeuvre across the timber roof joists,

in difficult tight spaces, taking extreme care not

to damage the ceiling of the church below. The

workspace on the sides was only a few feet wide

in places but it opened-up a little as we climbed

up onto the arch”.

The Icynene LDC 50 insulation foam was

sprayed to a thickness of 100-200mm directly

on to the back of the ceiling structure. Green

Horizon’s objective was to create a minimum

blanket of 100mm over the entire ceiling back –

roughly 450 square metres, with additional depth

used to fill areas where adjoining arch planes

met. Installation of the Icynene insulation was

completed over a seven-day period.

The right material in the right place

Commenting on the insulation of the Church,

Roddie MacLean added “We looked at a variety

of different options for what to use and where to

insulate but Icynene emerged as the ideal answer.

It was the right material in the right place”.

For more information on Icynene Spray

Applied Insulation products:

www.icynene.co.uk

See also u-tube video https://youtu.be/xn4ZHQJLWHM)

Barrel vaulted roof and apse during restoration

Domed roof to the semi-circular apse

Access to the void between the roof and ceiling to the worship area was difficult for

the Green Horizon, Icynene contractors

A 200mm thick blanket of Icynene LDC 50 foam was

sprayed to the back of the ceiling

AUGUST

Further informationFor further information on all aspects of Icynene Spray Foam Insulation visit: www.icynene.co.uk

See also: https://youtu.be/xn4ZHQJLWHM

BBAThe British Board of Agrément (BBA) is a construction industry approvals body which certifies a wide range of different product sectors, the largest of these being insulation and roofing. BBA approvals show compliance with Building Regultions and other requirements, including installation quality.

KIWAKiwa is a European institution for testing, inspection and certification of construction materials. KIWA is based in the Netherlands and is active worldwide in approximately 50 countries.

ESTThe Energy Saving Trust [EST] is an independent and impartial organisation which promotes energy efficiency across the domestic housing sector, helping consumers save energy in their homes.

CECE Marking on a product is a manufacturer’s declaration that the product complies with the essential requirements of the relevant European health, safety and environmental protection legislation.The letters “CE” are the abbreviation of French phrase “Conformité Européene” which literally means “European Conformity.”

EOTAEuropean Organisation for Technical Assessment [EOTA]. EOTA’s primary purpose is the drafting of The European Technical Assessment (ETA) which is a document providing information about the performance of a construction product, to be declared in relation to its essential characteristics.

Passivhaus TrustIcynene ia a member of the Passivhaus Trust. The Passivhaus Trust is an independent, non-profit organisation that provides leadership in the UK for the adoption of the Passivhaus standard and methodology. Passivhaus is the leading international low energy, design standard. Over 65,000 buildings have been designed, built and tested to this standard worldwide.

AMICAAMICA - The Association for Chronic and/or Environmental Poisoning Diseases - is a European Organisation established in 2003 to promote awareness of health problems caused by exposure to chemical substances present in the environment and in common use.

ComplianceIcynene is approved by the following organisations.

ISO 9001

Certificate No 08/4598

BAR-17-010-P-A-UK

CE Mark Approval