Rainscreen cladding offers designers and specifiers a wealth of options in new build and renovation projects, residential and non-residential, bringing practical and aesthetic advantages to small structures and high-rise buildings alike.
There are a number of specification drivers to consider ensuring the safety and comfort of those within the building, covering thermal, acoustic but arguably most importantly, fire performance. Insulation is a fundamental component of any successful rainscreen cladding system, and as such must meet strict criteria.
Illustrating this, Approved Document B, Volume 2 states ‘In a building with a storey 18m or more above ground floor level any insulation product…used in the external wall construction should be of limited combustibility.’
Zurich® Municipal’s Schools and Academy design guide goes a step further, ‘as a guide, non-combustible insulation should be used e.g. rock mineral fibre type, stonewool, slagwool or man made mineral wool/fibre,’ irrespective of storey height.
Knauf Insulation’s Earthwool® RainScreen Slab is non-combustible, and has the highest possible Euroclass A1 reaction to fire rating (when classified in accordance with BS EN 13501-1). As such it can confidently be specified and installed in line with Approved Document B and Zurich Schools and Academy design guidelines.
Furthermore, Earthwool® RainScreen Slab does not require full scale testing as described in BR135 ‘Fire Performance of External Thermal Insulation for Walls of Multi-Storey Buildings’, from which the resultant fire performance and classification report relates specifically to the system and components tested.
Available in thicknesses from 50 to 270mm, Earthwool® RainScreen Slab is suitable for buildings from zero to over 18m high offering a cost effective solution regardless of project height and type.
There are additional advantages to installing mineral wool insulation, the most significant being that mineral wool products friction fit between the system bracketry, reducing cutting and taping. Undeniably, this speeds up the installation process, reducing labour costs and making it ideal for fast track construction projects.
With no gaps between the insulation, there is no loss of thermal performance and no additional transfer of noise through the structure, making it a straightforward and effective solution. Earthwool® RainScreen Slab delivers excellent acoustic performance so it is ideal when considering sound disturbance in buildings or from the external environment – key priorities within many rainscreen cladding systems.
For more information please visit www.knaufinsulation.co.uk
