Sto solutions chosen to protect major new hospital

Some 20,000 square meters of external wall insulation provided by Sto Ltd have been used on the largest new hospital campus in Europe, along with a range of different Sto render finishes.

The Sto products have been used to clad sections of the new 1,677 bed Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus in Glasgow’s Govan district.

"This was a major project, and given the nature of the building, effective insulation was absolutely essential in terms of ensuring patient comfort,” explains Sto’s Technical Consultant, Alan Palmer.

“Our StoTherm Vario external wall insulation was the perfect solution for that requirement, but as this project shows, combining it with different types of render and installation methods allowed that solution to be tailored to suit different parts of the building.”

The StoTherm Vario M system was applied to the main hospital building. “This is an expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation with a mineralic reinforcing coat,” Alan adds. “It makes for a very efficient single-leaf construction with excellent thermal insulation, but it’s also able to meet stringent fire safety standards.”

The StoTherm Vario M system was applied to a supporting rail framework, creating a drainage cavity which provides the wall structure with a secondary line of defence from the effects of the weather. The system was finished with StoLotusan - the only render that incorporates Sto’s patented Lotus-Effect which creates a unique microstructure surface. This structure allows StoLotusan to deliver outstanding water and dirt repellence and provide effective protection against the growth of algae, keeping the façade cleaner for longer.

The hospital courtyards feature the same StoTherm Vario M insulation system, but with a StoSilco Top Coat. “This silicone resin render offers very high levels of water repellence combined with a tough finish and so it’s ideal for those areas of the hospital that may be exposed to harsh weather and damp,” adds Alan. It is also resistant to aggressive atmospheres and to the growth of algae and fungus.

The stair cores in the hospital building were finished with the StoTherm Vario K insulation system. The system used Sto-Turbofix single component adhesive foam to bond the EPS insulation boards to the hospital’s concrete block substrate, which was curved on the hospital’s stair cores. “Sto provided a number of curved sections of insulation which were manufactured especially for this part of the project and they were great to work with” says William Morrison of Prater, who designed and installed the insulation system. “They made the application work much easier than it might have been with an alternative system.”

This was coated with Sto Lotusan render to provide a rugged and reliable surface that will allow the hospital building to retain its attractive appearance well into the future.