John Johnston, Sales Director at A. Proctor Group, discusses how your retrofit project could benefit from aerogel insulation.
Arguably the biggest challenge on a retrofit or refurbishment project is accommodating new or additional insulation within existing constructions. Space constraints — especially on the inside of buildings where room sizes might already be limited — make substantial insulation thicknesses almost impossible, limiting improvements in overall thermal performance.
These constraints are even more pronounced at critical thermal bridging details. Widely used ‘conventional’ insulation products are simply too thick to accommodate. But making insulation improvements elsewhere without addressing thermal bridges can worsen the risk of condensation and mould occurring at those details.
What is aerogel insulation?
Originally manufactured for the aerospace industry, aerogel is a material where the liquid in the gel is replaced by gas, without shrinking, by a complex process called super-critical drying. The resulting material is rigid and offers excellent thermal properties. It is also brittle, so embedding it into a carrier fabric, like polyester or glass fibre, creates a flexible blanket material that is more usable, as it better maintains its integrity and thermal performance.
Why is Spacetherm A1 ideal for retrofitting buildings?
a proctor Group’s aerogel blanket product, Spacetherm a1, has a very low thermal conductivity of 0.0195W/mK, so high levels of thermal efficiency can be achieved in space-critical applications.
The thermal performance of ventilated facades can be enhanced generally, and in areas of thermal bridge detailing such as window reveals and steel beams. And with a non-combustibility classification of a1, façade systems can be optimised for fire performance too.
Whether installed internally or externally, buildings can also benefit from the material’s moisture management characteristics, including vapour permeability and hydrophobicity.
Spacetherm is A. proctor Group’s range of ultra-thin insulation solutions for retrofit and new-build projects. We offer a variety of solutions featuring Spacetherm A1, including ones bonded to plasterboard or magnesium oxide board to suit different applications.
Find out more at https://proctorgroup.com/products/spacetherm
