Sustainable products drive for refurbishment projects
With the growing trend for greener building practices, rising energy costs, and an environmental agenda driven by Government, developers and homeowners, the number of refurbishment and regeneration projects adopting sustainable construction solutions is increasing dramatically. Companies and individuals involved in these projects are taking a positive step towards specifying high quality building materials that fit this agenda.
For anyone involved in refurbishment or construction, there can be no doubt that climate change is one of the major drivers dictating the future needs of properties across the UK. Couple this with stringent Building Regulations and pressure from the Government to create energy efficient buildings and it’s easy to see why factors such as thermal performance have become more important than ever. So when selecting building products it is important to take into consideration things like overall thermal efficiency and lifetime energy performance. After all, the thermal efficiency of a building and its thermal mass capacity will ultimately dictate the ability of a structure to minimise the energy used in heating and cooling, and reduce the associated CO2 emissions.
Concrete cored properties have high thermal mass potential, therefore when looking at the fabric of a refurbishment project it is important to incorporate thermal mass into the heart of the building, by constructing internal partitions as well as new external walls from blocks. Concrete blockwork will retain heat (and cool) much better than timber and steel frame alternatives. In fact, using concrete blocks as a building material can help to significantly reduce energy consumption in both commercial and residential properties.
One of the most thermally effective and lightweight solutions available is aircrete blocks in solid-wall construction. Aircrete blocks can be combined with an insulating render for exterior walls to negate the need for internal insulation, which has obvious cost-saving benefits as well as environmental advantages. Concrete block based refurbishment also offers adaptability, enabling the easy removal or replacement of walls, whilst ensuring the property benefits from the thermal mass efficiency, durability, and superior soundproofing qualities of concrete.
Understanding the many benefits of building with concrete blocks is explored in more detail in Tarmac Topblock's 'Report on Sustainability' that covers a whole range of questions about the product range and can be downloaded directly from the Topblock website . The report itself also touches on the important consideration of the 'whole life impact' of a structure, taking into account not just the embodied energy required to extract and process the product, transport it and install it, but also in terms of energy in the operational life and energy efficiency of a building.
Concrete blocks are also 100 per cent recyclable, so cut-offs and part blocks can be processed and used again to make new blocks. Tarmac Topblock is already exploiting this important characteristic in its Hemelite blocks, which can contain up to 90 per cent recycled content.
So with block construction offering so many environmental benefits, and with new product innovation set to increase choice still further, blocks will continue to be an integral part of refurbishment and building projects, helping to deliver a more sustainable future for construction.
