INCA Case Study: Orbit Housing Association Retrofit Scheme

Background to the Project:

Orbit Housing Association’s SHDF scheme covered a large geographical area, with over 100 pepper potted properties. Various archetypes and existing substrates were encountered, while there was a requirement from planners / conservation officers to match the finishes ‘like for like’.

The Solution & Specification:

The Structherm Mineral Wool External Wall Insulation system was selected with multiple finishes, including dash, silicone and ArtBrick.

The unique ArtBrick finish was used to replicate complex Cotswold stone walls in order for the scheme to progress.

The ArtBrick finish was also used to match various brick bonds, stocks and architectural features.

In addition to the EWI system, there were other energy efficiency measures carried out, such as solar PV, windows / doors, Air Sourced Heat Pumps and re-roofing.

The Installation & Challenges on site:

Producing like for like finish samples was challenging due to the large variety of stone / brick walls encountered, and also the wide geographical area that needed to be considered. Indeed, due to that broad geographical area, a number of the properties fell into several different planning areas.

Problems overcome:

Materials were delivered on a property by property basis for those that were pepper potted around, with a central site compound serving the higher density areas. In order to select suitable colours for each of the stone / brick properties, colour swatches were taken to each house type to then produce the samples for approval.

The End Result:

Orbit Housing Association are very pleased with the end result, as the properties achieved planning approval. The residents have fed back to Orbit their satisfaction with the new and fresh appearance as well as energy efficiency of their homes. A number of residents were also keen to pass on their thanks to the contractors that undertook the work.
Structherm are now working on new Orbit projects requiring EWI solutions.

Quotes:

Wall Coatings Ltd

“Structherm’s innovative team are always striving to move forward and are on hand to assist with any technical queries.”