Foam sealing tapes are featuring in a research project at the University of Sheffield that's enabling student architects to understand better the benefits of eco-products used in construction and new build projects.
ISO-BLOCO One tape, supplied by ISO-Chemie, has been used in a full-size cross section model of one of the houses at the Low Impact Living Affordable Community (LILAC) housing project in Leeds.
Students are using the model to see how the houses have been constructed and incorporate similar ideas and techniques when designing their own eco-friendly buildings using advanced materials.
LILAC is committed to tackling climate change and reducing the environmental impact of neighbourhood housing through the use of initiatives like car-free home zones and building products designed to reduce energy usage levels, save money and encourage people to change the way they live by reducing their ecological footprint.
The project uses ISO-BLOCO One to provide an airtight, acoustic and thermal interior and exterior seal between the ModCell® straw-filled, cassette-style prefabricated panels used in the construction of more than 20 homes at the LILAC site.
The tape fills the 10mm expansion joints between the 9 m² bale blocks, helping to achieve a 1.0 m³/hour/m² measured at 50 Pascals air tight seal for the complete building - a good standard for the construction industry is anything between 3 - 5 m³/hour/m².
The University of Sheffield model has been created for the ARC6822 Materials for Low Impact Building: Practical module and will, once the current crop of students has completed the course be housed in the School of Architecture's new materials library opening in September 2013.
Module leader Dr Lucy Jones, a lecturer in Sustainable Design at the School of Architecture, said: "Students on the MSc Sustainable Architecture Studies at the University of Sheffield are very grateful to ISO-Chemie.
"It's given them the opportunity to gain practical experience of specifying and working with the BLOCO range of joint sealing tapes and increase their understanding of the products and procedures to improve air tightness in buildings."
ISO-BLOCO One offers a single product ‘fit and forget' solution for fast and effective sealing based around the European RAL principles of three level sealing - the inside seal area is more airtight than the external one, allowing any trapped moisture inside the joint, or within the wall, to escape outwards rather than into the building.
The external seal area provides weather resistance and breathability with a minimum resistance of 1000 Pascals (hurricane forces), while the intermediate seal area provides extra thermal and acoustic properties, with a U-value between 0.55 and 0.8 subject to tape size, and the internal one air tightness and humidity regulation, the tape installation itself gives less than 0.01 m³ air loss when tested at 1,000 Pascals air pressure difference. All three levels are designed to accommodate movement between the adjacent materials.
Once installed, the product ensures a building is better protected from elemental factors like wind, dust and moisture ingress by accommodating the changes in structural movement caused by environmental, cyclical and settlement factors.
Product complies with energy saving regulations (EnEV) on windows and doors as well as the RAL quality assurance association, has an EC1 rating for very low emissions and a B1 fire resistant rating. It is able to accommodate extremes of temperature changes - from -30°C to + 80°C and is available with a 10 year performance warranty.
