Client: PFI
Type of works: supply of type KST 22 Isokorb^® to create an effective thermal break solution.

The St Luke’s Hospital site in Middlesbrough, part of the Esk & Wear Valleys NHS Trust, has undergone a major £75m redevelopment to modernise the way it provides mental health and learning disability services. The new facility, named Roseberry Park, is a PFI project providing 312 inpatient beds and is believed to be the largest mental health project constructed in the UK.

The design of Roseberry Park contrasts wildly with the now defunct St Luke's Hospital, a prime example of a stark Victorian institution. The new hospital is spread over nearly 27,000m² of floor space and offers a wide range of accommodation, administration and patient care facilities in light and airy surroundings. A key element of the design is that patient accommodation is arranged around large activity gardens and courtyards.

The building is designed to be highly sustainable in both its materials and use of energy and to prevent solar gain inside the building, features an extensive brise soleil to its south aspect. The steel frame of the building has the brise soleil structurally connected to it – a classic breeding ground for thermal bridging. As a result an effective thermal break solution is a critical component. The solution specified is the type KST 22 Isokorb^®, a module that sits between the outer and inner structural connection points and blocks the outflow of heat through the use of stainless-steel and high-quality polystyrene insulation foam.

The KST modules are unique in being able to withstand extremely demanding loads and are made from stainless-steel components to ensure corrosion protection and minimise thermal conductivity. Due to their thermal insulation properties, the Isokorb^® modules dramatically reduce energy loss in connective areas by guaranteeing that there is uniformity between cantilever structures and the internal structure at the thermal envelope.