On the fringes of Dorchester, Poundbury has become a pioneering example of a sustainable 21st Century housing model but with this comes a strict building code imposed by the Duchy of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales’ estate that owns the land.
With challenging environmental standards expected throughout the development, high performance PIR insulation from market leader Celotex has played a significant part in creating thermally efficient homes.
Since Poundbury first began to take shape in 1993, main contractor CG Fry & Son, one of three main contractors on site, have completed over 500 houses. Located throughout Phase 1 and 2 of the development, they have all been designed to fit into the local style of traditional Georgian architecture whilst using modern building systems and a highly energy-efficient design.
For a development with such a high quality of construction and energy efficiency, the specification of high performance Celotex CW4000 insulation throughout many of the buildings met the client’s strict sustainability requirements, helping to achieve U-value targets with a solution which is approximately 10% thinner than traditional insulation.
“We have used Celotex many times before and have always been impressed with its versatility, ease of installation and high performance,” commented Andrew Smith of CG Fry & Son. “Its ability to create thermally efficient building envelopes with such minimal insulation thicknesses, therefore maximising space, is second to none.”
Celotex has provided over 5,000m2 of 80mm thick CW4000 for the cavity block walls of the houses in Phase 2 of the development. These lightweight and durable boards, available in a range of thicknesses from 25mm to 100mm with a standard board size of 1200mm x 450mm, are easy to cut to fit using hand tools making them ideal for a speedy application. Once fitted between the brick and block wall, the boards were secured in place using cavity tie clips, creating a high performance thermal envelope.
Meeting strict levels of energy efficiency, Celotex CW4000 has been independently assessed by BRE Global and confirmed as achieving a low environmental impact, through its BRE Approved Environmental Profile. The insulation has been awarded an A+ rating when compared to the BRE Green Guide, making it the ideal choice for achieving the building’s environmental targets.
In addition, Celotex TB4000 in a thickness of 25mm, GA4000 in a thickness of 100mm and XR4000 in a thickness of 150mm were used for the roof areas of the dwellings. These multi-purpose insulation boards offer specific solutions for overcoming thermal bridging with Celotex TB4000 and are suitable for use in a number of applications including roof, wall and floor systems. Both Celotex TB4000 and Celotex GA4000 have also achieved an A+ rating when compared to the BRE Green Guide.
With Celotex offering the thinnest and the thickest PIR insulation on the market, Celotex XR4000 insulation boards are available in a range of thicknesses from 110mm to 200mm and enable users to achieve better U-values with a single layer of insulation than has been previously been possible.
With solutions for floors, walls and roofs, Celotex is recognised as the market leader in rigid polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation with its products offering some of the highest performing rigid board insulation solutions. Offering a number of desirable properties across its range - thermal performance, thinness, lightweight, high strength, fast installation, moisture resistance, A+ Green Guide rating and Class O fire resistance - it is evident why Celotex is the most specified PIR insulation on the market.
Poundbury is famous internationally as a ground-breaking urban development. The result of The Prince’s belief on town-planning coupled with a long period of public consultation is that once completed the development will provide homes for approximately 5,000 people. Set for completion in 2025, Poundbury is a shining example of good architecture and sustainability in practice and paves the way towards a greener future.