INSULATION
Woodfibre and CLT Woodfibre insulation specialist, NBT, has provided the company’s Pavatex insulation and airtightness membrane for a groundbreaking Taylor Wimpey residential scheme trialling cross laminated timber (CLT) and sustainable design. combination of woodfibre insulation and membrane for the project, and, alongside technical specification, the company has also provided training at its own facility and on site, installation guidance and fixings calculations to support the Taylor Wimpey team as the housebuilder pioneers CLT homes as part of a major scheme for the first time. “Timber construction and CLT are growing in popularity amongst many smaller developers,” says NBT’s Andrew Mitchell. “Because CLT is an extremely robust and lightweight material that offers excellent design flexibility. All timber products provide carbon lock up, actively offsetting carbon emissions from both the construction and occupation phase of the development, making them extremely environmentallyfriendly while ensuring an extended design life and comfortable indoor environment.
01 Taylor Wimpey’s is one of the housebuilders involved in developing Great Western Park in Didcot, Oxfordshire – an ambitious project to create a new community, including 3,300 new homes, along with schools, infrastructure improvements and public realm spaces. Taylor Wimpey, is utilising the development to construct concept homes using various alternatives to block and brick. The homes are part of Taylor Wimpey’s ‘Project 2020’ initiative, which aims to trial innovative prototypes that could be constructed on a grander
scale at future developments, as part of the company’s strategy for sustainable housebuilding. NBT’s Pavatex woodfibre insulation and DSB weatherproof membrane have been used on semi-detached and detached prototype CLT (cross-laminated timber) homes at Great Western Park as part of Taylor Wimpey’s Infinity development, which will be available for purchase alongside the conventionally-built houses. NBT advised on specification of the right
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“Our products have been proven on a number of CLT builds but this is the firsttime we have worked with a major player in the housebuilding sector. We are excited to see that Taylor Wimpey is taking such a progressive approach to considering how they can build the homes of the future with reduced impact for the environment and enhanced comfort for residents.” A capillary-active, hygroscopic woodfibre insulation with excellent thermal performance, Pavatex was specified because, unlike closed cell and synthetic materials, it is a breathable insulation that allows any moisture absorbed by the structure during construction to dry to the outside, sharing the moisture load of the