Recticel Insulation’s innovative insulation board, which has a tongue and groove joint on all four sides to ensure an airtight fit and improved thermal performance, was selected for a desirable new housing scheme built beside one of England’s eminent waterways.
The Magenta Court development in Apsley, Hemel Hempstead is a multi-award nominated social housing project on behalf of Dacorum Borough Council. The £6.5m scheme, which stands alongside the famous Grand Union Canal, comprises 29 one-and-two bedroom flats within four blocks. The buildings’ design was inspired by the surrounding wharf architecture present in a nearby listed cottage, papermill and Apsley Lock.
Being delivered by main contractor Jarvis Contracting, working with architects RG+P, key to the programme’s success was achieving an energy-efficient building fabric. This led to the specification of Eurowall +, a high-performance PIR solution from Recticel.
This flagship product helps to achieve a 0.18 U-value with a 90mm-thick panel in a 100mm cavity. The lightweight, easy-to-handle board features a tongue-and-groove joint on its four sides, allowing it to be used as full-fill cavity wall insulation with a 10mm clear cavity. The additional space makes for a rapid, more convenient fit for bricklayers when it comes to installation.
Simon Blackham, Recticel Technical Manager, said: “This was a tremendous project to be involved with. It’s a superb housing scheme in a great location. With the buildings’ overall thermal efficiency among the priorities, it’s the type of project Eurowall + was created for. Further, it enhanced the programme’s sustainable credentials by reducing on-site labour times, thanks to the additional space it affords installers.”
Eurowall + is an exemplar of how high-performance materials can maximise a home’s thermal performance through a fabric-first approach. Its selection for the Magenta Court development was crucial to the creation of a number of desirable, energy-efficient affordable homes, whilst playing a part in ensuring the contractor remained on track to complete the project to the agreed timeframe.
