External wall insulation (EWI) by Saint-Gobain Weber has been specified for a large mixed-use development as part of a regeneration scheme being undertaken within Barking town centre in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
The development faces Abbey Green and the historic Barking Abbey, a former royal monastery originally established in the seventh century and described as ‘one of the most important nunneries in the country’. The Barking regeneration scheme consists of a new supermarket store for Asda; modern retail business units ideal for small or start-up businesses; a market square; town centre parking and 100 residential units designed specifically for rent.
Working for main contractor Bouygues UK, the application of 1,600m² of high performance weber.therm XM EWI system to the 100 apartments was carried out by insulated render specialist, Clarke Facades.
In new build schemes, insulating the external wall can be combined with modern methods of construction to provide cost effective, fast track build programmes and attractive façades. According to Saint-Gobain Weber, the ever-increasing thermal requirement of Building Regulations can be met and exceeded by using its high performance weber.therm EWI systems.
weber.therm XM EWI is a lightweight system incorporating thin-coat polymer render with meshcloth reinforcement, and is certified by the British Board of Agrément and listed by the Energy Saving Trust. Saint-Gobain Weber says it achieves highly efficient thermal performance, ideal for both refurbishment and new-build projects. The target U-Value of 0.16W/m²K was been achieved in the apartments in Barking.
Clarke Facades installed the multi-coat EWI system onto the concrete substrate using 180mm thick EPS (expanded polystyrene) insulation, applying a 6mm meshcloth reinforced coat of weber.rend LAC. This is a low density, polymer-modified, cement-based mortar that is applied in two passes. The surface was then primed with weber PR310 in preparation for the topcoat of weber.plast TF, an acrylic-based decorative finish, pre-mixed and ready to apply. The finishing colour of Winter White was chosen from an extensive range to achieve the desired contemporary-style appearance of the new apartments, creating a ‘warm wall’ which eliminates the risk of condensation, is highly resilient, durable and low maintenance.
Mark Wiggins, business development manager for Clarke Facades, said: “As a company we are very pleased with how this project has turned out. The workability of the Weber product meant that we were able to work within the challenging build schedule without difficulty. We are looking forward to continuing this strong supply chain and working closely with Bouygues UK in the future.”
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