External Wall Insulation (EWI) by Saint-Gobain Weber has been specified for a new build development of private apartments in the London Borough of Lewisham, Greater London. The 14-apartment Rivoli development by Alpha Estates (London) Limited, are in the Ladywell district on the main high road called Ladywell Road. Designated in 2010 as a conservation area, it consists mainly of late Victorian suburban residential properties in which external changes to existing buildings require planning permission.
The new Rivoli property was designed by award-winning local architect March Design Associates. Constructed from a poured concrete frame and in-fill blockwork, Saint-Gobain Weber’s weber.therm XM lightweight, render protected, external wall insulation system has been installed to emphasise the attractive sweeping curves of the front façade, side and rear elevations.
Primars Coatings Services Limited, Edgeware, Middlesex, a Network Weber applicator, was appointed to the project and work commenced in September 2014. Working closely with Weber’s technical services team, the specification required 90mm of high performance grey expanded polystyrene (EPS) which was fixed to the structure both mechanically and with adhesive. Additional layers of EPS were fitted to increase the curved relief design prior to the render coat application. The overall surface area required over 600m² ofweber.therm XM EWI.
“This was a very interesting job for us,” said Julian Turner, contracts director, Primars. “The curves and the relief work made this EWI application quite different by comparison to the major flat surface facades we normally undertake. It was a great project to work on and the finished property is excellent.”
Peter O’Sullivan, director of Alpha Estates, has praised the creative and aesthetic attributes of theweber.therm XM EWI system in addition to its thermal merits. “We examined several materials to identify which would achieve the strong visual design elements to closely match the architect’s computer generated images, including glass and aluminium, but only the weber.therm XM EWI system had the flexibility of application to deliver the sharp, clean lines that are the hallmark of this building. We had great technical support from Weber at both the design and application stages. weber.therm XM EWI has delivered some robust construction solutions and a fine, durable, low maintenance finish.”
The British Board of Agrément and Energy Saving Trust listed weber.therm XM EWI is a lightweight system that incorporates thin-coat polymer render and meshcloth reinforcement and achieves highly efficient thermal efficiency for refurbishment and new-build projects. A target U-value calculated by Weber of 0.3W/m²K has been achieved in the Ladywell project. The weber.therm XM system also provided the capacity to increase the depth of insulation required for use on the infill panels.
Primars installed the multi-coat EWI system onto the high performance insulation applying a 6mm meshcloth reinforced coat of weber.rend LAC. This is a low density, 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 ofweber.sil TF, a silicone-based, textured, through-colour decorative finish. Chosen from an extensive range, the finishing colour of Winter White has created an attractive and contemporary-style appearance to this attractive building creating a “warm wall” which has eliminated the risk of condensation, is highly water repellent, durable and weather resistant.
For more information about this project, or for technical support, please contact Saint-Gobain Weber on 08703 330 070, or visit www.netweber.co.uk. Customers in Ireland should call 028 9335 2999 or visitwww.weber.ie.
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