It is anticipated that when the development is completed in the next ten years or so, the regeneration of Wembley Park, in North West London, will provide up to 7000 new homes.
Isokorb structural thermal break systems from Schöck are being supplied across a number of different sites throughout this vast scheme, but one of the largest is South West Lands, which occupies an area running alongside the Chiltern rail line, adjacent to Wembley Stadium. This private rented sector residential-led mixed-use neighbourhood will eventually account for around 12% of the new homes on the entire Wembley Park development, which is around 900 units in total. Designed around a series of sheltered and south-facing garden squares, it is set in landscaped areas and a centralised ‘hub’ means that residents will also benefit from facilities such as a gym, cinema and concierge services.
The South West Lands development is spread across four large separate blocks, which share a communal basement car park. They are all reinforced concrete frame buildings, which are up to 18 storeys high; and are finished using traditional brickwork and standing seam metal cladding. There are communal roof terraces and a considerable number of private balconies throughout the development, which create valuable aesthetic amenity space at higher levels, as well as offering far-reaching views across London.
The avoidance of thermal bridging is crucial
As with any large-scale project involving so many balconies, minimising any possibility of the occurrence of thermal bridging is a crucial issue. Poor insulation at the many connection points will result in local heat loss. Which means that more energy will be required to maintain the internal temperature of the buildings. In addition to substantial heat loss, low internal surface temperatures around the area of the thermal bridge are very likely to cause condensation. This will lead to unwanted structural integrity problems with absorbent materials such as insulation products or plasterboard. It also encourages mould growth, which can have serious health implications for residents, particularly for older people and children, in the form of asthma and allergies,
Construction dependability and freedom of design
As the leading international supplier of structural thermal breaks, Schöck has almost limitless variants available in its main Isokorb range, offering planners complete construction dependability and enormous freedom of design. The hundreds of Isokorb products used on two of the phases at South West Lands have an 80mm insulation thickness and are for connecting cantilevered steel balconies to a reinforced concrete slab. This is achieved by means of straight tension and compression bars, which are inserted into the on-site reinforcement. The steel balconies are then bolted onto the unit by means of a stub bracket.
Proven performance and unrivalled choice
In addition to concrete-to-steel connectivity, the comprehensive Schöck Isokorb structural thermal break range also offers solutions for concrete-to-concrete, steel-to-steel – and even a maintenance free alternative to wrapped parapets which is both more cost-effective and more thermally efficient than conventional wrapped parapets. All products meet full compliance with the relevant UK building regulations, have NHBC approval and offer LABC Registration. There is also the added security of independent BBA Certification. The temperature factor used to indicate condensation risk (fRSI) which must be greater than, or equal to, 0.75, for residential buildings, is easily met by incorporating the Isokorb.
For a free copy of the Schöck Thermal Bridging Guide; the Schöck Specifiers Guide or to view the range of downloadable software, contact Schöck on 01865 290 890 or visit the website at www.schoeck.co.uk
