In a yard behind the busy high street of Lordship Lane in East Dulwich, a new family home has been constructed to Passivhaus standards, featuring thick walls around a courtyard, a design similar to Mediterranean homes. The creation of an airtight and thermally efficient envelope using 'industrial' materials such as corrugated cement fibre board was a priority for the project. Additionally the specification of a high-quality, high performance insulation was essential. Having extensively researched different types of insulation products in collaboration with her architects, the client Tracy Fox turned to leading PIR insulation specialists Celotex to provide her with a solution to creating a thermally efficient new family home.

Featuring double height living spaces as well as bedroom and workshop wings configured around a courtyard garden, the low technology house includes walls made from Rodeca translucent polycarbonate panels and the interiors are characterised by fair faced block, polished concrete and birch ply.

In keeping with the Passivhaus approach to the design which makes use of the non-residential bio-climatic architecture, and combines it with high levels of energy efficiency and air tightness, the insulation levels in the walls, floor and roof needed to be high, reducing the heating needs in winter and solar gain in summer.

The client required insulation which would ensure this high spec building was both ecologically sound and economical to run. Suitable for use in a number of applications, Celotex FR5000 proved the ideal product for use in the house’s roof, walls and floor.

Delivering an exceptional lambda value of 0.021 W/mK, the high performance insulation board has an ‘A+’ rating when compared to the BRE Green Guide and Class O fire performance. Combined with low emissivity values, the material provides a good solution to achieve better U-values and thinner solutions.

“Our aim was to create a thermally efficient, low technology home that was inexpensive to run,” said Tracy Fox. “As well as a quick and efficient installation, the insulation delivered the required thermal performance with a minimal thickness that has complemented our bespoke home perfectly.”

Over 100% more thermally efficient than many mineral fibre products and up to 10% better than typical PIR, the product has been developed specifically for use in pitched roofs, floors and walls to meet the increasing demands of specifiers who require unparalleled product performance, achieving thinner build-ups and enhanced U-values.