This is the story about the nearly complete refurbishment of three 24-storey 70m high West London 1960s tower blocks under a scheme to improve the residents’ comfort, save energy and enhance their appearance. Originally the plan had been to demolish the buildings, which are situated on the Edward Woods Estate, near Shepherds Bush, West London. However, by using numerous Rockwool insulation products as part of a comprehensive repair and improvement programme the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF) has been able to extend the life of the blocks for up to 40 years.
The refurbishment was designed by ECD Architects in consultation with the residents. The designers were supported throughout by Rockwool’s technical and energy efficiency experts, who were aided by Rockwool’s BuildDesk software to calculate potential heat losses at the project’s outset. In addition to developing an insulation solution Rockwool also assisted LHBF to secure grant funding for the refurbishment.
This eco-refurbishment involved a combination of thermal insulation solutions developed using products from the entire Rockwool Group. A total of 24 tonnes of granular insulation was pumped into the 1,380 cavities with minimum disruption to residents. The existing wall panels were also clad externally with Rockpanel Rockclad Xtreme board to further reduce heat losses and to give the blocks a fresh, clean appearance. On the narrower north and south elevations, the existing brick cladding was stripped away and filled with Rockwool Flexi insulation. Rather than replace the bricks, an energy-efficient lightweight steel frame system was installed and filled with a further 100 mm of Rockwool Flexi insulation. A 90 mm thick Rockshield external wall insulation system was then applied to give the wall a U-value of 0.18W/m2K - a solution nine times more energy efficient than the existing construction.
On the south-facing elevation Rockshield insulation has been integrated with 318 photovoltaic (PV) panels. These are expected to generate 85,000 kWh of electricity a year. The renewable electricity generated will provide power to the block’s communal areas to power lifts, CCTV, lighting and the alarm systems. At the top of each block new, highly insulated penthouse flats have been constructed. These incorporate walls with 300mm thick Rockwool Flexi insulation faced with Rockpanel wood finish cladding to achieve an impressive U-value of 0.15 W/m2K. The penthouse roofs are insulated to the same value using Rockwool’s flat-roof insulation. The scheme also incorporates Rockfon ceiling tiles for acoustic protection.
