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ROCKWOOL is pleased to announce that as the world’s largest producer of non-combustible stone wool insulation, it will be unveiling its new FirePro® DuctRock® system at Firex International 2018 at ExCeL London between 19th – 21st June.

Visitors to the ROCKWOOL stand A285 will be able to view a demo model and installation video of the new FirePro® DuctRock® system. Fully tested to EN1366-1 and EN1366-8 for Fire Resisting Ductwork and Smoke Extract Systems, it incorporates a suite of easily installed, cost effective solutions to provide up to 120 minutes fire resistance. The system will provide contractors with the widest range possible for rectangular ducts, ensuring a solution for all eventualities. As well as the DuctRock® system, ROCKWOOL will also be exhibiting a wide selection of other solutions from the comprehensive FirePro® range.

The FirePro® range of products provides firestopping and fire resistance solutions to protect throughout the building, slowing the spread of fire, protecting escape routes and allowing valuable time for safe evacuation and firefighting.

Beyond ROCKWOOL insulation’s inherent fire-resistant qualities, ROCKWOOL’s specialist range of products and technical tools help installers, contractors and specifiers conform to current fire regulations. The specialist FirePro® range incorporates solutions for building applications such as: structural protection, penetration seals, linear joints, cavity barriers, HVAC and smoke management systems.

ROCKWOOL’s stone wool insulation is capable of withstanding temperatures in excess of 1000°C and has been awarded the highest possible European classification: A1 non-combustible. It provides vital fire protection in buildings, keeping people safe, as well as minimising damage to valuable assets.

ROCKWOOL is committed to enriching the lives of everyone who comes into contact with its solutions. The company’s expertise is perfectly suited to tackle many of today’s biggest sustainability and development challenges, from energy consumption and noise pollution to fire resilience, water scarcity and flooding.

For more information, visit ROCKWOOL on stand A285, or visit www.rockwool.co.uk.

ROCKWOOL® and Rockpanel® have joined forces in developing a high performance, fire resilient cladding project which has transformed three high-rise residential towers for Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.

The Challenge

The Crofts in Smethwick consists of 270 homes within Ashcroft, Birchcroft and Elmcroft houses.

This development is located on a major arterial route into the city of Birmingham within a district that ranked 12th out of 326 in terms of deprivation in a 2010 study of the country. The three tower blocks, originally constructed in the 1960s, were in universally poor condition, showing signs of major wear and tear to the building fabric, windows, roofing and balconies. In the absence of any wall insulation, they were also proving very difficult to heat and especially challenging to keep warm for those tenants living in fuel poverty.

Refurbishment at The Crofts also offered an opportunity for Sandwell Council to rejuvenate not just these high-rise homes but also the wider area as they sought to bring a renewed sense of pride in their surroundings to residents and the local community.

The Solution

This two year, £11 million project for contractor, Keepmoat Regeneration, has involved a dramatic, top-to-bottom renovation of each tower at The Crofts.

Substantial improvements have included flat-to-pitched roof conversions with solar panel installations, new windows and striking new balcony enclosures, redecorated communal areas, asbestos removal and the installation of a highly efficient, aesthetically attractive and non-combustible insulated cladding solution supplied by sister brands, ROCKWOOL® and Rockpanel.

ROCKWOOL’s RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® is the non-combustible dual density insulation board fitted at The Crofts. It offers a robust outer surface and a resilient inner face designed specifically for application to this type of high rise development. Made from stone wool, RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® is A1 fire rated for optimum fire resilience. It also has the benefit of high resistance to wind and rain during construction, which, together with the minimal number of fixings required, makes installation quicker and easier for contractors. At The Crofts, the product has been tightly butt jointed, knitting together to deliver effective thermal insulation at 0.035 W/mK at the same time as it minimises any heat loss that could arise from gaps between insulation boards.

For the exterior cladding the extra fire safe façade board Rockpanel FS-Xtra has been used to provide the attractive aesthetic finish on the project. Applied on top of an aluminium supporting structure and fixed with blind rivets, these Rockpanel ‘FS-Xtra’ boards, in combination with ROCKWOOL’s RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB®, meet the requirements for European fire classA2-s1,d0. The boards also weigh very little compared to other board materials and can be easily worked with on site, with no special tools required. This saves installation time and costs. Installed on this project by Astley Facades, Rockpanel FS-Xtra boards are available in a wide range of different finishes and colours. A mixture of vibrant Rockpanel Colours, such as RAL 3009 and 5011, has been supplied at The Crofts.

The Result

“We’re extremely proud of the work we have been able to do here at The Crofts,” said a spokesperson from Sandwell Council. “These improvements have made a massive impact on both the internal and external appearance of the blocks, as well as the local skyline. And, the much improved insulation offered by the eye-catching cladding will help reduce fuel bills for tenants.”

A huge uplift in energy performance will result from these improvements. In fact, Sandwell Council estimates that, in total, approximately 9,600 tonnes of carbon will be saved every year.

The Crofts has picked up two awards for corporate social responsibility, including a Bronze in the 2015 International Corporate Social Responsibility Awards and a first prize in the Delivering Social Value category at the 2016 National Federation of Builders Awards.

Ultimately, the project has made a significant impact in the local community. These three tower blocks are not merely visibly transformed, they are more energy efficient residences and they are also beacons of hope for tenants and the community of Smethwick.

For more information please visit www.rockwool.co.uk and www.rockpanel.co.uk.

ROCKWOOL RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® has been installed on a new high rise building in Manchester to provide a fire safety solution that also delivers reliable thermal performance and superior acoustics.

In March 2016, construction began on a new high rise development, named One Regent, on Water Street in Manchester. Made up of 307 apartments, including six townhouses and 326 sqm of commercial space, the project sits at the gateway to Manchester’s city centre. The development was partially funded by the Greater Manchester Housing Fund, which aims to alleviate growing demand for residential property. Many new developments across Manchester are reaching great heights, presenting a number of different challenges for building contractors. In particular, fire spread.

This project required an insulation solution that would provide optimal fire safety, a thermal performance U-value of 0.18 W/m²K, and acoustic protection. Due to this, developer and main contractor, Renaker Build Ltd chose 21,000m2 of ROCKWOOL RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® in 125mm for the project. ROCKWOOL RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® is a dual density insulation board that has been specifically designed for high rise buildings. It’s robust and weather proof thanks to a compressed 15mm primary fleece that’s placed on top of the insulation and achieves a thermal performance of 0.18 W/m²K. A European classification: A1 non-combustible product, RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® has been designed to slow the spread of flames and provides vital fire protection, allowing all occupants to evacuate the building safely in the event of a fire.

John Messer, Project Manager at Renaker Build, comments “As well as its leading thermal efficiency and fire resistance, one of the main qualities that stands out when using ROCKWOOL RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® is the fewer fixings that are required to install the product. This helped us keep costs down during installation, in terms of product and manual labour.”

Renaker Build also liked the fact that ROCKWOOL RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® offered better acoustic protection than other façade insulants on the market. With development in Manchester on the rise, acoustics has become an important issue for building contractors to overcome. ROCKWOOL RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® significantly improves the acoustic performance of the external building structure from airborne noise because of its high density and randomly assembled fibre structure.

John concludes, “The project was completed to schedule in July 2017. ROCKWOOL RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® not only saved us time in the long run, but greatly achieved the desired thermal performance required. It also provided us with a fire resistant material that gave the building unrivalled acoustic insulation, which is becoming an ever increasing concern for our clients. The versatility of the product was ideal for the project and gave us the optimum solution to each of our requirements as well as aesthetic freedom. I’m confident to say, this won’t be the last time we install ROCKWOOL RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB®.”

For more information please visit www.rockwool.co.uk.

ROCKWOOL is delighted to announce that its RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® has become the first stone wool product to receive approval by the British Board of Agrément (BBA) for use in Ventilated rainscreen systems.

BBA certification is recognised throughout the construction industry and is a sought after accreditation for manufacturers. It is also incredibly important to specifiers, as it is a mark of quality, safety and reliability that provides reassurance of the product.

In order to achieve the BBA Agrément Certificate, products have to pass a series of comprehensive assessments, including laboratory tests, on-site evaluations, quality management checks and inspections of production. The RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® was tested for factors such as thermal performance, condensation risk, behaviour in relation to fire, and durability in order to meet UK British Regulations. The ROCKWOOL product successfully met all these requirements and achieved certification status for use as a Hybrid frame system and Rainscreen system.

As the only stone wool product certified by the BBA for use in Ventilated rainscreen systems, this approval helps support and endorse ROCKWOOL’s key product messages:

  • Peace of mind and quality of life
  • Innovative products for modern life
  • Lasting, durable and resilient
  • Energy efficiency
  • Fire resilience
  • Health safety and wellbeing
  • Natural solutions and sustainability

“It is incredibly important to us to put our products through the BBA process, as the certification provides architects with peace of mind when specifying our products” comments Paul Barrett, Product Manager at ROCKWOOL. “It also reinforces the premise that we produce sustainable products that are innovative, durable and long lasting.”

Manufactured from volcanic rock, RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® is a dual density insulation board that comprises of a robust outer surface and a resilient inner face. By compressing the primary fleece onto the top 15mm of the insulation, the product can be used, unprotected, in severe external weather, including strong wind and rain as experienced at high altitudes. As with all ROCKWOOL products, it’s fire resilient and complies with Approved Document B, achieving the highest Euroclass classification: A1. RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® also complies with BR135: “Fire Performance of External Insulation for Walls of Multi-Storey Buildings”.

For more information about RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB®, please visit www.rockwool.com.