Saint-Gobain Weber’s external wall insulation (EWI) has been specified for Camden Council’s refurbishment of the Denton Estate, Camden, North London.
The low-rise estate is a major community constructed in 1965 using a cast concrete frame with brickwork infills and is formed of 19 four-storey apartment blocks that together provide 127 homes. Camden Council’s property portfolio has a scheduled upgrade programme and during 2014, the Denton Estate was transformed with major internal and external improvements.
Saint-Gobain Weber says the aesthetics have changed for the better with the application of weber.therm XM, a lightweight render protected external wall insulation system, which it claims has created a striking appearance to the properties. The external walls now have a smooth, render finish and a bright façade that replaces the discoloured original brickwork. At the same time, the thermal performance of the properties has been dramatically improved from a U-Value of 1.40W/m²K to 0.28W/m²K with the application of 12,000m² of weber.therm XM EWI.
The main contractor for the refurbishment project was Keepmoat, with AK Design Partnership in Romford, Essex producing the project details.
Councillor Julian Fulbrook, cabinet member for housing at Camden Council, said: “These buildings are an example of the investment we have made in improving homes on the Denton Estate, making them more energy efficient, helping with heating costs and, very importantly, reducing CO₂ emissions.
“We considered our residents’ opinions in the new design of the buildings; it is important that they have their say in the look of their new homes. Residents have since reported that they feel more comfortable and warmer, and the estate looks much brighter. It has been a tremendous improvement.”
weber.therm XM EWI, which is British Board of Agrément (BBA) certificated and Energy Saving Trust listed, was specified for this project and incorporated the use of 90mm thick grey expanded polystyrene (EPS), as specified by Saint-Gobain Weber, which was applied to the substrate with mechanical fixings and adhesive.
Network Weber applicator Primars Coatings Services, Edgeware, Middlesex, installed the multi-coat system onto the high performance insulation, applying a 6mm meshcloth reinforced coat of weber.rend LAC. This is a polymer-modified, cement-based mortar which is applied in two passes. The surface was then primed with weber PR310 in preparation for the final coat of weber.sil TF, a silicone-based, textured, through-coloured decorative finish which is highly water repellent, durable and weather resistant. Vanilla was chosen from an extensive range of colours, which Saint-Gobain says adds a fresh, modern appearance to the Denton Estate apartment blocks.
During the 12-month application program, Primars had up to 14 operators on site at any one time. Julian Turner, contracts director for Primars, said: “The actual surface areas on the Denton Estate buildings are quite narrow, mostly a metre wide. This means that pump application is not possible and hand application takes time. The satellite picture of the finished project really does show the dramatically changed appearance of the Estate which has been very well received by the residents.”
Improvement works have also included contemporary-style upgrades and the installation of new roofs. The Denton Estate green roofs are intentionally ‘vegetated roofs’ which consist of a waterproofing membrane, growing medium and vegetation overlying a traditional roof structure.
Customers in Ireland should visit www.weber.ie.
