External Wall Insulation (EWI) by Saint-Gobain Weber UK has been used in the conversion of the former Longbridge House office block into the new Hampton by Hilton, London Gatwick Airport.
Under a franchise agreement with Shiva Hotels Limited, the contract was awarded to main design and build contractor The McAleer & Rushe Group. Work included an internal strip out of the existing office accommodation, removal of exterior cladding and the addition of two new lightweight floors added to the existing five-storey structure and finished to full turnkey Hampton by Hilton.
The exterior features a combination of aluminium rainscreen cladding to the upper area of the building with rendered EWI to the lower floors. weber.therm XM EWI, specified by EPR Architects, was mechanically fixed to a steel framing system.
British Board of Agrément certificated and Energy Saving Trust recommended weber.therm XM, a render protected external wall insulation system, was specified for this project incorporating the use of 70mm thick grey expanded polystyrene (EPS) which was fixed to the lightweight steel frame.
Network Weber approved applicator M Clarke & Sons Limited, Essex, installed the multi-coat system onto this high performance insulation applying a 6mm meshcloth reinforced coat of weber.rend LAC. This is a low density, polymer-modified, dry powder cement-based bedding mortar which is applied in two coats.
The surface was then primed with weber PR310 in preparation for the final coat of weber.sil TF, a silicone-based, textured, through-colour decorative finish which is highly water repellent, durable and weather resistant. Available in a wide range of colours, the client chose Hurricane Skies, a moody shade of blue, to create a modern façade to this hotel.
EWI is specified widely in both new build and refurbishment projects and is capable of dramatically rejuvenating the external aesthetics of a building, without any internal impact, while simultaneously improving its thermal performance. An impressive and comfortable U-value of 0.22 W/m²K was calculated by Saint-Gobain Weber for this project, which exceeds the latest revisions to 2013 Part L Building Regulations.
Applicator Michael Clarke said: “We are very familiar with all Weber EWI systems and install them regularly throughout the country. This was a straight forward project with good site conditions and easy access which allowed us to deliver the job quickly for faster access by other trades. Everything went smoothly. weber.therm XM EWI achieves a smart finish every time. You’d never know it was the same building.”
Hampton by Hilton London Gatwick Airport is a new generation mid-priced brand hotel which offers 192 bedrooms, a restaurant, in-house gym, meeting rooms and on-site parking. It offers direct access to the North Terminal check-in desks via a linked covered walkway providing a greater passenger-focused asset. This hotel joins Hilton Worldwide’s portfolio of more than 250 hotels across Europe of which the Hampton by Hilton brand will provide a boutique collection of 23 hotels in the UK by 2015.
