Can ground floor specification help buildings be more adaptable? Traditional ground floor constructions represent a challenge when considering how to make buildings more adaptable for the future. However, specifying floor constructions that are capable of serving a range of building uses could prolong the useful life of a building without having to disrupt the floor […]
Independent, third-party certification for construction products is designed to give confidence that claims made my manufacturers are genuine, accurate and verifiable. Different certification types exist to cover different elements of a manufacturer’s operations, from product performance and environmental impact, to management processes and responsible sourcing. Specifiers, installers and building owners/managers all rely on the information […]
Heatwaves, energy company profits and the rising energy price cap are putting the focus on building comfort like never before. None of it is easy reading, and we can soon feel as though individual actions are unlikely to make a significant difference. But by working together to develop responsible specifications that have the end user […]
Inverted flat roofs can be waterproofed with bituminous membranes, single ply membranes, or liquid-applied membranes By far the most common solution, for reasons that we’ll discuss in this post, is the type of liquid-applied waterproofing known as hot melt. However, the choice of waterproofing depends on what material the structural deck is constructed from. During […]
Many people in the construction industry remain familiar with Green Guide ratings as shorthand for the environmental impact of construction products. However, with more detailed environmental impact reporting now available in the form of environmental product declarations (EPDs), decisions on sustainability can be made with more information than a simple summary rating can communicate. ‘The […]
This month we’re giving you an insight into the making of extruded polystyrene insulation. Have you ever wondered what the ‘extruded’ part of XPS actually is? Or how much recycled polystyrene can be used to make XPS boards? Read on to find out, and don’t forget to contact us if you have any comments or […]
Although the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, perimeter upstand insulation and edge insulation are very different components of ground floors – – the former being designed to address thermal bridging heat losses, the latter able to replace ground floor insulation layers in certain types of floor construction. In their own ways, however, both address […]
This issue we’re looking at the responsible sourcing of construction products, something which is increasingly important to make construction more sustainable, especially in a linear economy. You’ve probably heard of – and specified – the BES 6001 standard, and we’re looking at that standard in more detail. You can contact us to find out more […]
The manufacture of Polyfoam extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation involves a two-stage extrusion process. Following that, the extruded polystyrene foam is calibrated and profiled to create finished insulation boards for use on construction sites. A recycling stage takes offcuts from the process and turns them back into polystyrene pellets, for use in later production runs. An […]
BS 5250:2021 Management of moisture in buildings addresses the following four categories of floor construction. Groundbearing floors with damp proof membrane (DPM). Groundbearing floors without DPM. Suspended floors. Basement floors. For the most part these categories deal with floors at ground level or, in the case of basement floors, below ground. However, the scope of […]
