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SIPs ensure an energy efficient highly durable all-weather build
Education Spaces SIPs buildings offer outstanding thermal efficiency, outperforming many traditionally built structures. Our cutting edge methods ensure your building is not only exceptionally robust but cheap maintain, requiring minimal energy to achieve necessary ambient temperatures winter and summer.
Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS)
SIPs are a modern composite building material, combining several components of conventional building such as stud and joists, insulation, vapour barrier and air barrier. SIPs are formed from two layers of OSB (oriented strand board) between which is rigid core of expanded polyurethane foam. We screw the panels together with long, high tensile self-tapping screws and use expanding adhesive foam to ensure 100% air tightness.
The floors walls and ceilings of our buildings are constructed using SIPs. Many years' in this industry have enabled us to test and refine our materials ensuring only the very best SIPs are sourced for our buildings.
Why do we use SIPs?
A well-built SIPs structure will have a tighter build envelope with higher insulating properties than conventional builds, meaning fewer drafts and reduced operating costs.
Construction time is also reduced compared to traditional methods because SIPs work as the structural framing, insulation and exterior sheathing and come pre-cut (but not assembled), from the factory. They afford great design versatility and require less time and fewer tradesmen to install, saving you, money. In fact, there is up to 40% savings, on the total life-cycle cost of your building.
Building Regulations and Energy Efficiency
Under the latest revisions to Part L (England & Wales) of Building Regulations, a minimum standard U-value is required for newly constructed building. Education Spaces buildings are designed and manufactured to exceed the thermal efficiencies required under this new legislation.
What is a U-value?
A U-value is a measure of thermal efficiency. It is: 'a measure of air-to-air heat transmission (loss or gain) due to thermal conductance and the difference in indoor and outdoor temperatures, in relation to an area of material, expressed as w/m2k (watts per square metre Kelvin)'
In other words, as the U-value decreases, so does the amount of heat transferred through the material, so the lower the U-value, the better the insulation.
Required U-values
To comply with the new Part L (England & Wales) Building Regulations, building components must have U-values that are at least equivalent to the following:
- Walls - Building Regulations Minimum = 0.35 Wm2k
- Floor - Building Regulations Minimum = 0.25 Wm2k
- Roof - Building Regulations Minimum = 0.20 Wm2k
In addition, the other structural components further enhance the thermal performance of our buildings; plasterboard, kiln dried timber cladding, finished flooring and EPDM rubber roofing.
