Development of luxury flats

At a Glance

• Regional housebuilder Boss Development was looking for advice on the best way to meet thermal and acoustic regulations in its development of seven luxury flats.
• After assessing the project requirements, the SIG Technical Centre recommended changes to the product specification that delivered cost savings and reduced the property’s planned footprint while still complying with legislation.
• SIG Insulation will supply the specified materials, coordinate the SAP calculations and test the finished build to ensure that its performance matches up to expectations.

Sound advice

The SIG Technical Services, part of SIG Distribution, worked closely with Boss Development to assess the house builder’s requirements. It then recommended changes to the design specification that would help them meet Part L and Part E, the thermal and acoustic elements of the Building Regulations, while also delivering additional benefits.

One of the most significant changes introduced by the team was to reduce the wall cavity specification from 90mm to 75mm. They achieved this by recommending high-performance cavity insulation products that would still ensure the building met the u-values demanded by the Building Regulations. This change in spec resulted in cost savings, as well as reducing the footprint of the building due to the smaller cavities.

Other recommendations from the Technical Centre included a cavity protection system which meant there was no need for a backing block behind the building’s natural stonework, and an innovative under screed insulation product which enabled Boss Development to build a block and beam floor using a denser bison beam while still meeting Part E acoustic requirements.

Construction is now under way on the development, with SIG Insulation coordinating deliveries of product to site as and when required. Once the building is finished, the SIG Technical Services team will conduct all of the necessary air pressure tests and sound tests to ensure that the building’s performance matches up to expectations.

Delivering Value

Graham says that having the team on board has had a hugely positive impact on the development of the project.

“The SIG team are very much on top of housebuilding legislation. They’re able to take the technical side away and break the regulations down into layman’s terms, telling you exactly what products you need to achieve which requirements,” he says. “Being a supplier as well as a consultant means they have comprehensive knowledge of the most appropriate products and materials for any given situation and could advise us on the best way to apply them.”

“They always have a solution, recommending products to us that I didn’t even know were on the market, in spite of having worked in the industry for so long.”

He says the biggest benefit of working with the team so far has been avoiding the costs and delays involved in hiring independent consultants: “Working with SIG Insulation saved us a significant amount of money as we didn’t have to pay fees to separate consultants for advice on different elements of the build.”