Project: Retirement Living Development, Haddington
Location:Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland
Sector:New Build Retirement Housing
System:Stylite Ventfill EPS150 / EPS70
Size: 1,500m2
Problems
This flagship development of 49 retirement properties, in the historic town of Haddington, had a problem with naturally occurring ground gasses as a result of the underlying geology. In line with Building Regulations the contractor had to consider the potential risks associated with these gases and how they might ingress into the properties if not dealt with accordingly.
Client Requirement
The contractor wanted a passive ventilation system, beneath the footprint of the properties, which would disperse any ground gasses to the atmosphere via a series of perimeter wall vents. The system would also need to be strong enough to support the floor loadings and provide the necessary thermal requirements.
Design Consideration
Styrene Packaging & Insulation Ltd (SPI) were approached by the client and asked if a solution could be designed. SPI’s technical team were able to quickly design and provide a sample of a passive ventilation board to the client for approval.
The Stylite Ventfill boards are manufactured from lightweight Expanded Polystyrene (EPS70) and comprised of a “waffle” like design on the underside to allow efficient venting of any gases.
Delivered in board sizes of 1200mm x 1200mm the Stylite Ventfill system was installed on a gravel substrate and then overlaid with sheets of EPS150 at a thickness of 70mm. To complete the system a membrane was installed along with the screed topping.
Result
Due to the design of the system any gases from the ground are now efficiently dispersed through the “waffle” structure and out into the atmosphere via the perimeter wall vents, whilst the thermal properties of EPS have achieved a floor u-value of 0.14 W/m2K.
