Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester is one of the oldest and largest specialist music schools in the country.
Originally housed in buildings dating back to 1421, the school has moved into a new £31 million purpose built facility. With the energy efficiency of the building of utmost importance, high performance cavity wall insulation from leading PIR manufacturer Celotex was specified to help the building achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’.
A total of 4,000m2 of Celotex CW4000 was supplied at a thickness of 100mm and installed into the partial fill cavity wall to form the thermally efficient and high performance building envelope.
"Celotex PIR insulation was chosen for the new building because of its high thermal performance and A+ rating (when compared to the BRE Green Guide)," commented Justin Risley of Stephenson: ISA STUDIO. "We were able to create a thermally efficient building envelope which has helped the building achieve a Very Good BREEAM rating."
Made from PIR with low emissivity foil facings to reflect radiant heat and improve thermal resistance, Celotex CW4000 is extremely lightweight and offers enhanced fire performance, structural strength and moisture resistance. Specifically designed to meet the requirements of partial cavity wall installations, Celotex CW4000 achieves an excellent lambda of 0.022W/mK, delivering superior U-values and 100% more thermal efficiency than many mineral fibre products – with much thinner solutions.
Independently assessed by BRE Global, Celotex CW4000 has been confirmed as achieving a low environmental impact, through its BRE Approved Environmental Profile. It has also been awarded an A+ rating when compared to the BRE Green Guide and BBA certification.
Designed by Stephenson: ISA STUDIO and built by Sir Robert McAlpine with funds from The Department for Education, North West Development Agency and private funders, the contemporary new building boasts a recital hall, music technology centre, ensemble rooms and over 100 teaching and practice rooms.
The specification and installation of Celotex CW4000 insulation in this stunning new building in the heart of metropolitan Manchester has ensured that this iconic music school will have improved energy efficiency for years to come.