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Building a Zero Carbon Future
3rd October 2007
24th June 2008
PolySteel becomes the world's largest producer of ICFs
9th May 2008
Logix UK Become First UK Supplier to Receive BRE Certification
2nd October 2007
Fibre Focus for ICF
1st October 2007
WALLFORM Centrepiece
5th September 2007
Award for Excellence
26th April 2007
The Lodge at Cawston Park
12th March 2007
Grand Designs in ICF
Although the Government has declared the intention of building to Zero Carbon standards by 2016, the technology exists today to achieve most of the improved performance required.
For the Builder, the task is to construct buildings whose performance will not have a detrimental carbon impact on the environment. This means completing the building envelope to zero- or passive energy standards and minimising the demand for the public utilities of power, water and waste disposal.
Focussing on the building envelope, there is significant opportunity to reduce and control the loss of energy through the fabric of the building. U-value, the measurement of loss of energy through the floor, wall and roof construction is generally recognised to be at its optimum value at c.0.10 W/m²K, although in the UK, with a more temperate climate, a U-value in the range of 0.10. – 0.15 W/m²K is proving acceptable. For floor and roof specifications, improved performance may be achieved relatively easily by increasing the thickness of thermal insulation, but improving the performance of walls is more problematical since the wall provides the main structure of the building as well as having to be weatherproof and cope with a variety of openings for doors, windows and various service entry points.
To overcome the problems of trying to upgrade traditional specifications, designers and builders are increasingly turning to the Wallform system of construction as a practical solution for passive and zero energy specifications. Although Beco Wallform has been in use for around forty years ( it actually featured on “Tomorrow’s World” in the 1970’s!), it is only in the new Millennium that it has become popular, being recognised as one of the Government’s Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and featuring on several television programmes where it provided a practical solution to a variety of technical and building problems.
The real advantages of the Wallform system,however, are becoming more evident as pressure increases for higher levels of output and better performance standards. Speed and practicality have always been features of the building method and the ability to build faster with fewer personnel on site is a significant benefit to the builder. That the construction will also achieve the standards required for “Zero Carbon” performance is a benefit both to the builder and the architect, since the detailing of the Wallform system is already approved to German Passivhaus standards and does not require further “accessories” to upgrade performance.
Air tightness is achieved in the normal building process, since the concrete infill seals the wall construction when it is built, minimising energy leakage through the building fabric, increasingly a problem with traditional building methods. Such air tightness also means the building is more watertight and, since the foam insulation and concrete core are substantially waterproof, is unlikely to suffer any significant damage in the event of flooding. Even if the claddings and finishes become damaged as a result of flooding, the insulated structure remains relatively dry, enabling repairs to be carried out quickly once the water has receded.
Flood resistance and air tightness are qualities of Wallform construction which also contribute, albeit in a small way, to the Sustainability of this ICF (Insulating Concrete Formwork) system. The basic construction offers a building shell which will withstand earthquake, winds, fire and flood, and the performance will not deteriorate over time. Life expectancy is substantially greater than the current 50-60 year norm.
Materials of manufacture are fewer and simpler than alternative building methods. The production of concrete uses aggregates, many of which may be recycled, and cement, which may be replaced by alternatives such as PFA and blast furnace slag, reducing CO2 emissions by c.70%. Production of the insulation foam, expanded polystyrene, with an ODP and GWP both of zero, derives from less than one per cent of crude oil and saves about one hundred times its energy value in a nominal fifty year useful life. At the end of a building’s useful life the materials can all be recycled as new products for the next generation of buildings.
In summary, the Wallform system of construction provides the durability and performance required to meet future Building Standards while still providing the architect with the broadest range of design options. The builder is able to employ a quick, practical and economic building method employing less manpower and equipment on site with consequent benefits in Health & Safety. The client benefits from a more cost effective and comfortable building with a long life expectancy and a low environmental impact.
R E Miller
Beco Products Ltd
