passivehouse+ | Issue 10
News
Smet launches EasylationWall external insulation system Smet Building Products has launched EasylationWall, an easy-to-use external wall insulation technology based on brick slips and utilising natural stone or ceramics. The system incorporates extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation. According to Smet, the main benefits of EasylationWall include short construction time and assembly, high insulation values, low cost due to the light construction method, and a dry construction method that is not weather dependent. The system is also 99% recyclable and free of thermal bridges, and is moisture-regulating. It comes with a ten year product guarantee. Smet director Joris Smet said EasylationWall can be installed in new-builds and renovation projects and is also very suited to off-site construction systems, such as timber frame, steelframe and prefab concrete construction. Planning conditions in some areas may dictate that the existing brick façade may have to be entirely replaced like-for-like in retrofit projects, keeping the new façade consistent with the old. “EasylationWall EWI system complete with a brick slip finish, results in both improved thermal performance of the building and a façade finish in-keeping with the area,” said Joris Smet. The brick slips are created by sawing a shell of approximately 22 mm thickness off a complete whole brick. This is possible with almost any type of brick – clay fired brick, concrete brick
and calcium silicate brick. In addition to flat slips, corner slips (L-shaped) and half bricks can also be created. Any type of stone or ceramic may be utilised to create the brick slip finish, including natural stone, glass and ceramic. The system can incorporate up to 30cm of insulation and deliver U-values as low as 0.11. “The high density XPS insulation boards have a high thermal resistance and excellent impact resistance for durability,” said Smet, adding that due to the
sealed cell structure, the system is damp proof. Smet has partnered with leading supplier, Brick and Stone, to distribute EasylationWall. “We are also delivering comprehensive training and demonstrations to Brick and Stone, ensuring all agents are proficient in the superior benefits of EasylationWall external wall insulation system,” said Smet. (above) The EasylationWall brick slip system
Munster Joinery opens Belfast showroom Munster Joinery has announced the opening of a new showroom in Belfast with over 120 products on display. The showroom offers architects, builders and homeowners in Northern Ireland the opportunity to see Munster products locally, including the company’s range of passive house certified windows. “The purchase of windows and doors represents a significant part of the spend on any project. There are a wide range of factors to be considered such as thermal performance, acoustic performance, solar gain, luminous factors and weather-tightness as well as aesthetics. Be the project new build, extension or refurbishment, the customer is inundated with masses of literature for various products making it difficult to differentiate. The hands-on clarity offered by the showroom situation is the ideal way to make an informed selection,” said Marlene O’Mahony, quality manager at Munster Joinery. Window technology has become increasingly more complex in recent years. Many of the Munster products on display have been certified as being suitable components for passive housing and low energy buildings by the Passive House Institute in Germany. O'Mahony says the
showroom will be an easy way for the customer to get a feel for some of the technology involved – double, triple and even quadruple-glazing, low emissivity glass coatings, warm edge spacer bars, and low conductivity gas fills such as argon and krypton.” “The diversity of ranges, materials, colours, operating systems, glazing types and levels of performance on offer make it much simpler to select the correct windows and doors for any project.” Munster Joinery is a family owned company with manufacturing locations in Ireland and the UK, and is now one of the largest window and door manufacturers in Europe. “The company has responded to the energy challenge facing businesses globally today by investing heavily both in efficient product design and in green and sustainable operations,” O'Mahony said. The company's 900,000 square foot production facility in Ballydesmond, Co Cork is largely powered by two on-site wind turbines with an output of 4.2MW. Timber off-cuts and sawdust from the process are used to fuel a combined heat and power plant delivering 12MW thermal and 2.8MW of electrical energy.