In an empty yard behind the busy neighbourhood high street of Lordship Lane in East Dulwich, a stunning new family home has been constructed having been designed to Southern European Passivhaus standards featuring heavy thick walls in a courtyard design, not too dissimilar to homes in Spain and Mexico.
The creation of an airtight and thermally efficient envelope was a priority for the project which meant the specification of a high-quality, high performance insulation was key. Having extensively researched different types of insulation products in collaboration with her architects, the client Tracy Fox turned to leading PIR insulation specialists Celotex to provide her with a solution to creating a thermally efficient new family home.
Featuring double height living spaces as well as bedroom and workshop wings configured around a courtyard garden, the low technology house is being made from Rodeca translucent polycarbonate panels and the interiors are characterised by fair faced block, polished concrete and birch ply.
In keeping with the Passivhaus approach to the design which makes use of the non-residential bioclimatic architecture, and combines it with unmatched energy efficiency and air tightness, the insulation levels in the walls, floor and roof needed to be extremely high, reducing the heating needs in winter and solar gain in summer.
The client required insulation which would ensure this innovative building was both ecologically sound and economical to run. Suitable for use in a number of applications, Celotex FR5000 proved the ideal product for use in the house’s roof, walls and floor.
Delivering an exceptional lambda value of 0.021 W/mK, Celotex FR5000 is the premium performance insulation solution from Celotex. Offering ‘best in class’ performance – FR5000 has an ‘A+’ rating when compared to the BRE Green Guide and Class O fire performance. Featuring Celotex IQ, providing super low emissivity values, FR5000 is the perfect solution to achieve better U-values and thinner solutions.
“Our aim was to create a thermally efficient, low technology home that was inexpensive to run,” said Tracy Fox. “As well as a quick and efficient installation, Celotex FR5000 delivered the required thermal performance with a minimal thickness that has complemented our bespoke home perfectly.”
Over 100% more thermally efficient than many mineral fibre products and up to 10% better than typical PIR, Celotex FR5000 has been developed specifically for use in pitched roofs, floors and walls to meet the increasing demands of specifiers who require unparalleled product performance, achieving thinner build-ups and enhanced U-values.
Filmed for the Channel 4 show Grand Designs, hosted by designer Kevin McCloud, the specification of Celotex FR5000 throughout this innovative home, will ensure the project remains on track to achieve the BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’ and a Level 4 rating under The Code for Sustainable Homes.
