Learie Constantine Centre

Knauf Insulation has the specification factor

The Learie Constantine Centre in Willesden, named after the former Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner to the UK, and cricketing legend, Sir Learie Nicholas Constantine Kt MBE, is being redeveloped after 70 years. The new building will deliver 26 one, two and three bedroom apartments as well as a community centre.

The project was designed by architects ECE on behalf of Wilmott Dixon, who have a supply chain agreement with Knauf Insulation. There were two factors for the insulation specification – fire safety and thermal performance.

Fire safety is determined by the height and use of the building as well as the wall build-up. In this case, the Learie Constantine Centre is a five-storey residential building with an external wall build-up comprising both a brickwork façade and rainscreen cladding. This means the insulation used in the external walls must comply with changes to Approved Document B that ban the use of combustible material in certain types of external walls, such as rainscreen façade systems, of residential buildings between 11m and 18m high unless a full-scale fire test is undertaken.

The second part of the insulation brief was thermal performance. To comply with Approved Document L, U-values of 0.13 W/m2K were required for the external walls, 0.13 W/m2K for the balcony and 0.14 W/m2K for the bin store.

Meeting the brief

With this in mind, ECE consulted Knauf Insulation’s Project Specification Team, who recommended using 170mm Rocksilk® EWI Slab for the external walls, 270mm of Rocksilk® Soffit Linerboard Extra under the balcony and 200mm of DriTherm® Cavity Slab 32 in the bin store.

All three products are non-combustible with the best possible Euroclass A1 reaction to fire classification, so will not contribute to the development or spread of fire, should it occur.

Rocksilk® EWI Slab has a thermal conductivity of 0.036 W/mK and is designed to insulate rendered external walls, while Rocksilk® Soffit Linerboard is a specialist product for insulating structural soffits and has a thermal conductivity 0.034 W/mK. DriTherm® Cavity Slab 32 is a full-fill glass mineral wool insulation solution with a thermal conductivity of 0.032 W/mK.

Sustainability

As well as thermal and fire safety performance, Knauf Insulation products also contribute to sustainability. Glass mineral wool is lower in embodied carbon than other mainstream insulants.

Both Rocksilk® Soffit Linerboard and DriTherm® Cavity Slab 32 are also manufactured with ECOSE® Technology, Knauf Insulation’s unique bio-based binder that contains no added formaldehyde or phenol. It is made from natural raw materials that are rapidly renewable, and is less energy-intensive to manufacture than traditional binders.

Products made with ECOSE® Technology are soft to touch and easy to handle. They generate low levels of dust and VOCs, and have been awarded the Eurofins Gold Certificate for Indoor Air Comfort. This means they are kinder to the installers who use them too.

Knauf Insulation’s glass and rock mineral wool insulation solutions had all the right ingredients to meet the brief for the Learie Constantine Centre. They will help to create a safe and comfortable environment for homeowners and leisure centre users alike.