With specifiers facing even stricter rules on the performance of building products, from the uplifted Building Regulations to the new Building Safety Act, manufacturers have a critical role to play in ensuring a safe and sustainable specification process.
That’s why Glidevale Protect is launching a new campaign to highlight the importance of technical transparency that ensures the accuracy, and clarity, of all product information.
Glidevale Protect, itself one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of construction and roofing membranes, as well as airtightness products, has invested in the development and testing of its membrane product range to provide reliable technical information that is fully supported by third-party accreditations. This not only ensures that all performance claims can be checked and verified but also provides specifiers with a clearer view of how the products can help achieve compliance.
For example, the current STA Advice Note 18 guidance for external wall breather membranes has brought transparency into sharp focus by highlighting the need for all manufacturers to clarify and verify technical data, including for reflective wall membranes to be tested to the required thermal and emissivity performance standards, claiming aged thermal resistance ‘R’ value figures which are fully independently certified by a third party, UKAS accredited body.
Glidevale Protect fully supports specifiers by providing aged thermal resistance values on external and internal reflective membranes to accurately reflect real life performance figures.
As well as providing full transparency on the testing of its products, Glidevale Protect’s own best practice ensures all its thermal resistance results take into account any logo printing on the low-emissivity surface and are based on the membranes being installed with the appropriate maximum horizontal fixing centres of 600mm as recommended in STA Advice Note 18.
Helping specifiers identify how best to achieve compliance with all relevant regulations, standards and guidance, by providing substantiated technical information is also vital to bridging the ‘performance gap’ so that buildings are as energy efficient in operation as they were designed to be. To navigate this potential risk, Glidevale Protect ensures that all its product information is regularly updated when required and easily accessible via its website, with all specifications written to be both comprehensive and clear.
The need to create buildings that achieve the correct balance between thermal efficiency, airtightness, ventilation and condensation control is another challenge that Glidevale Protect believes can be successfully overcome through early engagement and close supply chain collaboration.
To support this, the company has invested in its own in-house resources, from ensuring the continuous development of its product range to comply with the ISO 9001 quality standard and meet the requirements of both the UK and Irish construction markets, to obtaining independent verification from UKAS accredited certification bodies such as BM TRADA.
Robin Dodyk FCIAT, Head of MMC at CALA Group Ltd, has specified and used Glidevale Protect reflective membranes for many years and comments positively about the company’s data transparency: “I have always been impressed with the high quality of the aluminium used on Glidevale Protect reflective membranes which ensures strong thermal resistance.
“For example, Protect TF200 Thermo is an industry standard product installed externally on a timber frame wall and its technical data is clear and transparent, with the thermal resistance R value of 0.77 m2K/W being correctly based on aged performance, incorporating printing in an unventilated cavity and being backed up by a UKAS accredited third party certifier.”
To access Glidevale Protect’s product information or to discuss how the technical team can assist you with your next project, please visit https://glidevaleprotect.com/technical-resources/
For more information on Glidevale Protect, please visit, glidevaleprotect.com
email info@glidevaleprotect.com or call +44 (0)161 905
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