An innovative solution that delivers enhanced performance with easier and more effective installation to achieve a ‘belt and braces’ job of regenerating a brownfield site is being adopted by one of the UK’s leading housebuilders.
Taylor Wimpey is building some 300 homes at the Imperial View, Airdrie site, for both Bryant and Taylor Wimpey, but was concerned at the outset about even the slightest risk of contamination on the plot-formerly a mine and factory. To comply with Building Regulations and fully address any potential danger of methane or CO2 leaking up through the ground, the company has chosen to install Z-Led’s innovative Protect GDB10 gas and damp barrier below the floor slabs of every house on the scheme.
“The site had been used for numerous industrial activities in the past so we felt it appropriate to deliver a ‘belt and braces’ specification,” explained Taylor Wimpey’s Graham Rintoul.
“Gas barriers need to be installed correctly, or it defeats the object of putting them in! The membrane format of Protect GDB10 is more workable than conventional ‘landline’ systems, particularly bending it round corners. Z-Led could also supply prefabricated angles and cavity closers, which further took away many of the issues of possible incorrect or inaccurate installation on site.It is going really well.”
Protect GDB10 not only stops any methane, carbon dioxide and radon from entering a building, but simultaneously provides a damp-proof membrane. It provides a complete solution to compliance with Building Regulations Part C and BRE Report BR 414 2001 ‘Construction of buildings on gas contaminated land’, without any need to install an additional damp proof membrane, helping reduce both labour and material costs.
Protect GDB10 is independently assessed as a gas and damp barrier by BRE certification (certificate number 127/07). The barrier meets the requirements of both the NHBC RSK ‘Guidance on Evaluation of Development Proposals on Sites where Methane and Carbon Dioxide are present’ and CIRIA C665 ‘Assessing Risks Posed by Hazardous Ground Gases to Buildings’, making it, Z-Led claims, the ideal choice for both domestic or commercial build applications.
The multi-layer reinforced polyethylene/polypropylene membrane with integral continuous aluminium foil is supplied with full fixing instructions. Tough and durable, Z-Led Protect GDB10 provides excellent tensile strength and enhanced puncture and tear resistance, yet it is easy to cut and, at only 17.5kg/roll, lightweight to handle. Each roll is 40x long and 2.5m wide.
Protect GDB10 is complemented by a range of accessories to ensure effective installation of the membrane and ventilation of gases, including Slab Edge Protection Trays, Joint Protection Tape, Universal Pipe Seals, Airbricks and Periscopes. Z-Led further supplies the innovative Aluflash environmentally friendly alternative to lead flashing, and a range of solutions to minimize or eliminate penetration of moisture and gas into buildings.
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