West Dunbartonshire Council chose Structherm to externally refurbish three 16-storey high rise blocks of flats in Clydebank, Glasgow, following a regional survey which found that all three buildings were in need of significant improvement. The existing structure consisted thin precast concrete cladding panels fixed into the concrete frame by rebar that had been showing signs of corrosion causing the panels to become loose.
Structherms’s Structural External Wall Insulation (SEWI) and Wonderwall systems were specified for the external refurbishment of the Littleholm high rises, as they were ideal for the local authority’s requirements.
The SEWI system comprises of a panel manufactured from rigid insulation strips located in a mechanically-fixed steel wire cage with warren trusses positioned at 100mm centres to provide excellent strength and stability along with spanning and loadbearing capabilities.
The SPH100 panel measuring 2.4m x 1.2m was specified which incorporated a 75mm thick Phenolic insulation core. The vertical spanning method was used to span 2.4m from floor to floor without requiring any fixings going into the defective cladding panels. Instead channels were resin anchored into the floor slab edges and the SEWI panels attached to them using shear receiver brackets. This solution transferred the load of the new cladding directly into the primary structure and prevented any additional loads having to be applied to the existing cladding panels.
To complete the system Structherm UF Fibre reinforced basecoat render 24-26mm thick was applied. This render acts as diaphragm to further reduce panel deflection caused by wind loads.
A final decorative and long lasting ClassicPro Silicone 1.5mm topcoat was then applied to provide the system with a watertight finish and excellent weather resistance.
On the ground floor, Structherm’s insulated real brick slip cladding system Wonderwall, was chosen for it robustness and impact resistant properties. Comprising of a rigid 25mm thick phenolic insulation panel, prebonded to a brickwork coordinating carrier sheet.