Structherms’s Structural External Wall Insulation (SEWI) was specified for the external refurbishment of Kyle Court in Glasgow, which was experiencing significant structural defects and a poor thermal performance.
The refurbishment needed to overcome the structural defects associated with the failing cladding panels and window infill panels and to bring the blocks up to current Scottish Building Regulations in relation to thermal efficiency 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 load-bearing capabilities.
The SPIR125 panel measuring 2.4m x 1.2m was specified which incorporated a 105mm thick PIR 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 BR01 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. The SEWI panels were also able to span across the window infill panels negating the need to fix directly into the fragile board.
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.
As a result the failing cladding panels were secured against the frame by the SEWI system, providing a safe, speedy and cost effective solution. Thermal performance has also improved with the U value of the walls dropping from 1.28W/m2K to 0.25W/m2K.