Insulate Magazine - April Issue 17

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Issue 17 | April 2018 

New forms of insulation 

Ecobuild 2018 Review 

AI Insulation 

Energy Efficiency 

Infrastructure Priority







Insulation 

Outlook 2018 




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Contents 

It’s been an extremely busy month here at HQ, it seems 

that coming into spring has brought the industry into 

overdrive, projects and initiatives from across the globe 

are being submitted to us as future articles and features for 

Insulate magazine. 

New forms of Insulation: Something to Reflect on 

Tallest Piece of Street Art 

Efficeint Cambridge Virido Development 

6 

10 

12 

We’ve had the consultation for ECO3 opened by BEIS in 

preparation for it’s implementation, with much discussion 

on social media still centring around “deemed scores” - the 

team at Insulate Network would love to hear your views for a 

feature next month, simply send an email to 

news@insulatenetwork.com and share your thoughts. 

This month we hear from our Technical Editor, Paul Forrester 

on “The Language of Insulation” “Continued Professional 

Development in Insulation” and a review of the final Ecobuild, 

ahead of its transformation to Futurebuild in 2019. 

All of your usual Insulate Columnists deliver their thoughts for 

the industry from the view of their respective trade bodies and 

the BBA chart the rise of reflective insulation in the U.K. 

Enjoy! 

Tests Even Tougher 13 

Energy Efficiency is Infrastructure Priority 

12 

The Language of Insulation 16 

Free Lunch 19 

Speciers of Insulation Projects 21 

Ecobuild is Evolving (Ecobuild Review) 

22 

Heat or Eat 

24 

Insulation and Artificial Intelligence 

26 

Embracing Ecommerce 

31 

Colin Heath 

Managing Editor 

colin@insulatenetwork.com 

@colin_insulate 

26 

12 

Jamie Street 

Head of Creative 

jamie@insulatenetwork.com 

@jamie_insulate 

6 14 

Paul Forrester 

Technical Editor 

Winner! 

Congratulations to Tim Potter 

from CMS Danksin, who won 

the tickets to Anthony Joshua 

vs Parker thanks to Mauer in 

Insulate Magazine issue 15. 

The UK's only dedicated 

trade journal for the insulation industry 

3

The only independent insulation industry trade magazine 

instant insulate 

A quick look at what is in store in this months issue of Insulate Magazine. 

Head over to page 27 for Embacing Ecommerce in Insulation 

Europe is currently developing a 

harmonised European Product Standard 

for reflective insulation which is due 

to be published shortly. Once officially 

issued, manufacturers will then be able 

to CE-mark their product to encourage 

increased sales across Europe. 

Read More: Page 6 

Under new ownership, ecobuild 

2018 represented a confident 

transition to what will become 

futurebuild in 2019 

Ecobuild Review: Page 22 

The walls of the Virido properties allow 

approximately 20% less heat loss than a 

typical building, without having to 

compromise on room sizes. 


No: insulation is a technical, logical 

language, born of the laws of physics. 


Energy efficiency measures provide a 

public service: they insulate 

consumers—literally—against the volatility 

of energy markets. Likewise, they provide 

health and wellbeing benefits, 


There are still millions of households 

and commercial and public 

buildings that are yet to be properly 

insulated and yet insulation is 

still the single most effective method 

of saving energy and money. 


With government-backed delivery of home 

energy efficiency improvements stalling, 

we inevitably end up playing political football 

with the issue whilst the poorest and 

most vulnerable in society suffer. 


no such thing as a free lunch, but 

when a construction product 

manufacturer wants to present to an 

office full of professionals then 

making sure they are well fed is 

virtually a prerequisite 


For the UK’s Tallest Piece of Street Art Turn to page 10 

4 

www.insulatenetwork.com

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Insulate Insight 

New forms of Insulation 

Something to Reflect on 

Marin Oxley Charts the rise of reflective insulation 

A 

fter running 26.2 miles and receiving your 

well-earned finisher’s medal, you usually 

receive a goody bag after completing 

your marathon. Along with the T-shirt, snack 

bar and muscle-relieving pain gel, you will find 

a shiny, highly reflective space blanket. This 

helps to keep you warm after you have stopped 

running – so why not use the sametechnology 

to keep your house warm as well? 

Testing the Performance 

When the first reflective insulation products hit the 

shelves of builder’s merchants many years ago, there 

was limited certified testing, so some of their original 

performance claims might have been a little optimistic. 

Testing houses in both the UK and Europe also 

achieved varying results after analysing the products 

in the same way as they normally would traditional 

insulants. 

So while the test houses and manufacturers agreed 

on a standard testing methodology for thermal 

performance, a process which took a few years, 

some companies opted for in-situ evaluation. 

It soon became apparent that it was extremely difficult 

to build ‘standard houses’ repeatedly and ensure 

that thermal performance and weathering conditions 

remained absolutely identical, so as to evaluate the 

true performance of these new reflective insulants 

with 100% accuracy. This caused market confusion 

and ultimately led to many architects, specifiers and 

contractors not selecting reflective insulation for their 

projects. 

Thermal Performance Standard 

After several rounds of evaluation with some of the 

best testing houses for insulation’s thermal performance, 

in 2012 Europe agreed on a standard thermal 

Europe is currently 

developing a harmonised 

European Product 

Standard for reflective 

insulation which is due to 

be published shortly. Once officially 

issued, manufacturers will then be able 

to CE-mark their product to encourage 

increased sales across Europe. 

performance testing standard, BS EN 16012: 2012 

+A1: 2015 Thermal insulation for buildings – Reflective 

insulation products – Determination of the declared 

thermal performance. (http://bit.ly/2bramb2). 

There was now a defined methodology for direct 

thermal comparison of reflective insulants. This, together 

with the emergence of the first reflective insulation 

certificates from the British Board of Agrément 

(BBA) over 17 years ago, increased the credibility of 

the industry and provided consumers with the reassurance 

they required, and sales started to increase 

significantly during this period. 

Radiation of Heat 

All insulation products work by reducing heat flow, in 

one or more of three ways: conduction, convection or 

radiation. Heat always flows from the hot side to the 

cold side. 

Reflective insulation’s key feature is, of course, to limit 

heat flow by radiation. The radiated energy is invisible 

and causes no rise in temperature until it hits a 

surface, where it is absorbed and causes the object 

to get warmer. For instance, radiative energy from the 

sun will pass through double-glazing and once it hits 

an object inside the conservatory it starts to heat it 

up. 

6 


When comparing the performance of reflective insulations, 

a key technical characteristic is the emittance 

of the product, more usually described as emissivity, 

specifically a surface measurement of the product’s 

ability to emit radiant energy. 

Emissivity is a ratio and is given a value between zero 

and one. A value of zero indicates that all the energy 

is reflected and none is absorbed, as for example, 

with a highly polished silver surface. Conversely, a 

value of one denotes that none of the energy is reflected 

and all is absorbed, as by a totally black body 

such as a black hole in space. 

For a typical reflective insulation product, the aluminium 

foil outer surface would have a declared aged 

emissivity of around 0.05, meaning that the significant 

majority of energy is not absorbed. Conversely, for a 

typical brown house brick, you would usually expect 

an emissivity value of around 0.90 – that is, most of 

the energy is absorbed. 

As emissivity is a ratio of energy, the temperature and 

direction of measurement is an important function, so 

you need to measure the emissivity accurately. The 

texture of the sample can also affect the true result by 

scattering the light. 

BS EN 16012: 2012 + A1: 2015 refers to BS EN 

15976: 2011 Flexible sheets for waterproofing – 

Determination of emissivity, which details testing and 

reporting methodology (http://bit.ly/2bCJq5p). With 

most reflective insulations, you are determining very 

low emissivity values and are working at the very 

limits of the instrumentation, so using an experienced 

independent testing laboratory such as the BBA is 

vital to obtain accurate, precise and credible results. 

The results supplied should be ‘aged’ results to take 

into effect the material’s ability to resist oxidation 

/ corrosion, i.e. how the product will perform after 

many years as opposed to just initially. 

Europe is currently developing a harmonised European 

Product Standard for reflective insulation which 

is due to be published shortly. Once officially issued, 

manufacturers will then be able to CE-mark their 

product to encourage increased sales across Europe. 

BBA History 

The BBA celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016, 

which means we have been evaluating numerous 

insulation types from novel to traditional, in many 

different applications for over half a century. Each 

certificate has a scope of that the lists. 


7


what the product is, its technical performance, how it 

complies with Building Regulations and where it can 

be used. 

Insulation manufacturers work hard to produce the 

best product for each specific application, to ensure 

that all the necessary requirements are met. Obviously, 

for an insulation the key element is thermal 

performance, so the correct installation of any 

insulation is absolutely essential. If it is installed poorly 

or incorrectly, there will be a loss of thermal performance 

and, with the majority of insulation ending up 

covered once it is installed, this reduced performance 

will continue throughout its life, and may even cause 

issues at a later date. 

Correct installation of insulation was one of the 

many parameters picked up in the Zero Carbon Hub 

Performance Gap report as an area to improve (see 

Building Control Journal February/March, pp.14–15). 

Architects, designers and specifiers are required to 

take CPD to keep abreast of developments. However, 

an installer may often only attend a one-day 

training course and become approved with typically 

very little follow-up or auditing, even though he/she 

may then be considered the company expert. 

So the focus for manufacturers to increase market 

share must be in preparing comprehensive technical 

literature to complement the sales material, as well 

as detailed installation guidance to demonstrate the 

ease of fitting all the key features and benefits. 

This guidance can range from images of the installation 

process right through to on-site training 

schemes. Companies are keen to ensure that their 

product is installed correctly, does what it should do 

and stands the test of time. 

So, if reflective insulation uses the standard principles 

of physics for thermal performance and has been 

around for the past 60 years or so, used as it was 

during the great space race of the 1950’s and 60’s, 

being both thin and lightweight, then you could ask 

the question – why is it not used in more applications? 

The lack of a current European Product Standard 

may be one of the reasons why architects, specifiers 

and contractors continue to use their normal insulant, 

given that this has worked in the past and they do 

not have time to investigate all the possibilities. 

This is where a BBA Certificate gives the manufacturer 

the ability to go out into the market place to support 

and solve many of the questions that industry 

has regarding product performance. 

With regulated building requirements for U-values 

getting lower and lower, the use of reflective insulation 

in conjunction with other traditional insulants can 

help achieve these increasingly stringent targets. To 

achieve maximum performance, products must be 

used in conjunction with an air cavity in front of, and 

in some cases behind, the insulation. 

Some products are also classed as a vapour control 

layer because they offer a high degree of moisture 

resistance and, of course, must be used on the warm 

side of any proposed system to reduce the risk of 

any interstitial condensation. Others are classed as 

breathable because they are perforated through all 

layers to allow any moisture build-up to pass through 

the material and dissipate on the other side, typically 

in the form of a ventilated cavity in a warm pitched 

roof. 

Although it may not have been a smooth or easy 

ride to get here, reflective insulation is now definitely 

making significant inroads into the European insulant 

market. 

The BBA’s auditing and inspection team has a huge 

wealth of knowledge and experience of the whole 

spectrum of on-site insulation installations, from the 

very best to the very worst, so it can offer a valuable 

resource for those looking to ensure that the product 

is installed correctly. 

Market Share 

8 


Value 

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U-value 

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9


Insulate News 

Sto Helps Bring Tallest 

Piece of Street Art Alive in Leeds 

A 

Wall insulation system supplied by Sto Ltd has helped bring to life a 137ft high mural called 

“Athena Rising” in what is considered to be the tallest piece of street art in the UK. The office 

development in Leeds has been clad with StoTherm Vario external wall insulation and finished 

with StoColor X-black facade paint. 

Created by articles Cbloxx and 

AYLO (Joy Gilleard and Hayley 

Garner from the Nomad Clan 

Muralists Collective) the artwork 

depicts an owl in flight alongside 

a moon and a crown. The artwork 

took four weeks to complete and 

covers the east elevation of the 

building. To complete the ‘Athena 

Rising” street art Joy and Hayley 

were required to suspend from a 

cradle, hand-painting the artwork 

using emulsion and spray paint. 

Sto’s Account Manager, Jim 

Allan said: 

“This project is an excellent 

example of the way that Sto can 

provide a fully integrated solution 

for an unusual project such as 

this.” 

“StoTherm Vario is a high performance 

and cost-effective 

insulation system which features 

a mineralic reinforcing coat which 

is designed to meet stringent fire 

safety requirements. It provides 

excellent thermal performance 

and protects the external wall 

from weathering. No additional 

expansion joints are required and 

this was an important feature for 

the Platform building, as it gave 

Joy and Hayley a smooth canvas 

on which to work.” 

Dark finishes on render applied 

over external wall insulation have 

traditionally suffered from heat 

build-up due to solar gain. This 

can subject the render and insulation 

to temperatures of up to 

80°C, which causes dimensional 

instability, cracking and damage 

to the insulation. 

However, the StoColor X-black 

paint uses special near-infrared 

black pigments that cause much 

of the solar energy in the invisible 

near-infrared spectrum to be 

reflected. Despite the render surface 

being dark in colour, it stays 

considerably cooler, protecting 

both the render itself and the 

insulation material beneath it from 

the extremes of thermal stress. 

The Nomad Clan’s work is part of 

the city-wide street art project in 

Leeds, called ‘A City Less Grey’. 

Joy and Hayley are experienced 

giant muralists, having painted 

some of the largest artworks in 

the North of England, and they 

have been called ‘one of street 

art’s finest female duos.’ 

Craig Burrow of the building’s 

owner, Bruntwood said: 

“We’re very excited to be part 

of this project and pleased that 

Platform can provide the canvas 

for this mural,.” 

“Bruntwood firmly believes that 

the strength of our cities is directly 

impacted by social and cultural 

vibrancy, so it’s great to see citywide 

projects like ‘A City Less 

Grey’ bringing organisations from 

across the region together to 

create powerful art. 

“Bruntwood firmly believes that 

the strength of our cities is directly 

impacted by social and cultural 

vibrancy, so it’s great to see citywide 

projects like ‘A City Less 

Grey’ bringing organisations from 

across the region together to 

create powerful art.” 

10 


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build-up, the outlook 

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Insulate News 

Kingspan Tek Insulation 

Underpins Efficient Cambridge Virido Development 

irido, the new high energy efficiency housing development in Cambridge features Kingspan’s TEK 

V Building System of Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). 

Located in the rural suburbs of the University City, 

Virido was developed and constructed by Hill. The 

development features 208 apartments and townhouses 

in a grid of quads around a central courtyard. 

A high performance fabric specification, was achievable 

thanks to the Kingspan TEK Building System and 

was designed by Pollard Thomas Edwards. 

The Kingspan TEK Building System comprises a 

high-performance insulation core sandwiched between 

two layers of OSB/3. The lightweight panels 

were designed and factory cut to the project’s unique 

requirements by Kingspan Timber Solutions. This ensured 

a fast-track erection programme with minimal 

onsite adjustments and waste. 

To maximise the energy performance of the dwellings, 

the envelopes of all properties on the development 

have been designed to be extremely airtight. 

This was a key consideration in the specification of 

the Kingspan TEK Building System as its unique jointing 

system and OSB/3 facing supports highly airtight 

constructions. On completion, each property was 

individually assessed and achieved recorded air leakage 

rates of below 1.5 air change per hour @ 50 pa. 

The highly airtight design necessitated the use of mechanical 

ventilation heat recovery systems (MVHR). 

These systems use the heat from the outgoing stale 

air to heat incoming fresh air, further reducing heating 

demand and maintaining comfortable internal living 

conditions. 

The Kingspan TEK Building System also 

contributed towards the excellent fabric performance 

of the properties as Heike Messler from Pollard 

Thomas Edwards explained: 

“The walls of the Virido properties allow approximately 

20% less heat loss than a typical building, without 

having to compromise on room sizes. This high level 

of thermal performance means that the homes don’t 

really need radiators, but we have included them for 

personal comfort.” 

Both the Kingspan TEK Cladding Panel and Kingspan 

TEK Building System panels are also available 

in a 172 mm thickness, offering enhanced insulation 

performance with U-values of 0.17 W/m2.K or better. 

The manufacturing facility where the panels are 

produced carries both FSC® (FSC®-C109304) and 

PEFC Chain of Custody certification. As standard, 

the OSB/3 facing of all Kingspan TEK panels is PEFC 

certified. 

12


BBA Tests Even Tougher 

with Heavyweight Instron Testing Machine 

OTest experts at the British Board of 

Agrément (BBA) are making full use of 

their new Instron universal testing machine 

to pull, squeeze, twist, bend and tension 

building products under assessment, including 

those for the roofing, cladding, highways/car 

parking, house-building and civil engineering 

industries. 

The new load frame equipment is an upgrade to the 

BBA’s previous machine, offering an additional test 

space, a widened scope of products to be tested 

thanks to an increased load capacity from 100kN to 

250kN, greater levels of accuracy and stability and 

the latest Bluehill Universal software. 

Mike Beale, BBA Test Contracts Manager, said: 

“The new Instron machine can test more 

than 30 product types, from insulation to 

membranes, resins, moulded plastics including 

pipes and window frames to waterproofing 

systems. It’s a crucial piece of 

equipment that is in virtually constant use 

tensioning, flexing, compressing, peeling 

and shearing products. It is a great asset 

that is perfect for supporting our clients’ 

needs. We will continue to invest in new 

test fixtures to maximize the possibilities 

of this state-of-the-art equipment.” 

13 


13

Insulate insulate Columnist columnist 

EE as Infrastructure Priority 

Secures Cross Party Consensus 

Sarah Kostense-Winterton Executive Director, MIMA 

“It is all very well giving assistance with bills, 

but a long-term solution - insulating houses 

- is surely the way forward” said Conservative 

sponsoring MP and EEIG supporter, 

Antoinette Sandbach opening the recent debate 

in Parliament on Energy Efficiency and the Clean 

Growth Strategy. 

Sandbach continued by setting out a range of potential 

policy levers, and highlighting that bills are £500 

lower today than they would have been without energy 

efficiency improvements, yet “there is still more to do”. 

She did not fail to point out that there has been an 80 

per cent reduction in energy efficiency improvement 

measures between 2012 and 2015. Never a truer 

word spoken. 

This two and a half hour debate was a long time in 

the waiting – with debates on energy efficiency being 

few and far between - also providing the first actual 

chance to debate the Clean Growth Strategy launched 

in October last year. This was a valuable opportunity to 

put on the public record the cross-party commitment 

to coordinated action on boosting the energy 

efficiency of our homes to deliver social, economic and 

environment opportunities for all. 

The policy wish list – the cross-party MP’s central ask 

“to designate energy efficiency measures as 

infrastructure spending” – with the clear economic and 

social benefits, not surprisingly reflected the EEIG’s 

messages, with all of those speaking at the debate 

supportive of the coalition’s campaign. As Sandbach 

stated energy efficiency spending is closer to capital 

than revenue 

Sarah Kostense-Winterton is Executive Director 

of MIMA, the Mineral Wool Insulation 

Manufacturers Association and founder of the 

Energy Efficiency Infrastructure Group. 

For further details of the EEIG and if you would 

like to join, please contact EEIG’s political 

advocacy and support, Alasdair MacEwen at 

alasdair@theeeig.co.uk 

expenditure, and such investments free-up energy 

capacity, delivering multiple economic, environmental, 

and energy security benefits for the UK. 

“Why invest in the big plant if we can roll out energy 

efficiency measures across the country, as part of 

an infrastructure project?” Sandbach boldly proclaimed. 

“Energy efficiency measures provide a public 

service: they insulate consumers—literally—against 

the volatility of energy markets. Likewise, they provide 

health and wellbeing benefits, by enabling consumers 

to heat buildings more effectively, and they have 

the knock-on consequences of reducing our carbon 

emissions and contributing towards our overall aim of 

clean, green growth.” 

Minister, Claire Perry did not disappoint with her enthusiastic 

response saying, “the case that was made 

for demand-side as well as supply-side infrastructure 

investments is powerful” also committing to meet with 

the National Infrastructure Commission in the 

coming months. 

14 



“There is a huge amount more to do,” inferred Perry. 

“We have heard lots of sensible ideas today, many 

of which are extremely attractive and that we want to 

take away. All of us want to get the costs and consumption 

of energy down, reduce carbon emissions, 

make our homes warmer, and make the transition to 

low-carbon energy less risky. This is not an either/ 

or question; in order to meet our carbon targets, and 

to create a housing stock that is fit for the future, we 

absolutely need to do this.” 

However, the Minister’s one word of caution that making 

energy efficiency an infrastructure priority “does 

not automatically turn on a new funding tap” must be 

ignored at our peril. 

“There is no packet of money under the Chancellor’s 

desk marked ‘Infrastructure’, so this all has to be put 

through a similar hopper,” Perry warned. 

“Nevertheless, the point about energy efficiency is excellent; 

energy efficiency is not only a strategic imperative, 

but an economic imperative. If we improve energy 

efficiency, we reduce people’s bills, create value, and 

create opportunities and investment for new forms of 

technology.” 

What was clear during this debate – or dare I say discussion 

given the MPs support across the political divide 

- is that the politicians agree with one another and 

there is immense (and very welcome) support from the 

government minister too. We have challenges ahead 

but the Clean Growth Strategy represents one of the 

most significant milestones – the path ahead – to support 

the reset and transformation of energy efficiency 

policy, of how it is approached. This, supported by 

the recommendations, amongst others, of this week’s 

Green Finance Taskforce report, the Climate Change 

Committee and, with fingers firmly crossed, of the National 

Infrastructure Commission’s recommendations 

due in the spring/early summer. 

It is imperative that EEIG and its members focus on 

supporting Perry and the Government on how to 

deliver the jigsaw of potential policy measures and to 

ensure HM Treasury becomes sold on the new way 

of framing energy efficiency. The momentum we have 

achieved throughout 2017 must be maintained lest we 

let this important issue slip back into the traffic jam of 

the new policy queue. As Perry rightly said 

“This is not an either/or question; in order to meet our 

carbon targets, and to create a housing stock that is 

fit for the future, we absolutely need to do this.” 

With this in mind, the EEIG has a packed strategy for 

2018 with focus on doing exactly this. The EEIG remains 

a broad church which represents those who are 

committed to achieving change and delivering good 

energy efficiency policy and quality housing “fit for the 

future”. We are not about specific products, businesses 

or organisations but committed to 

achieving the EEIG’s goals. We are widening and 

growing the membership so come and join us at the 

next meeting on 11 April! 

15


Exclusive Insulate Column 

The Language of 

Insulation 

Paul Forrester Technical Editor, Insulate Magazine 

The ‘language of insulation’ is not what you 

would call romantic. It’s unlikely to inspire 

a book of sonnets any time soon; budding 

Blakes, Chaucers and Shakespeares tend 

to have weightier things on their minds! by Paul 

Forrester 

No: insulation is a technical, logical language, born 

of the laws of physics. Much of it is black and white, 

but there remains room for nuance. Used well, it is a 

powerful tool for communicating ideas about building 

design and performance. The words themselves may 

not be beautiful, but they can help create great spaces 

that inspire great work from the people who use them. 

Thermal Properties 

A fundamental measure of a thermal insulation material 

is its thermal conductivity (lambda value, units: W/ 

mK), the amount of heat energy it conducts. Generally, 

thermal conductivity doesn’t change with thickness, 

so thermal resistance (R-value, units: m2K/W) is 

a more accurate measure of a material’s ability, at a 

specific thickness, to resist heat transfer. 

The resistances of the materials in a wall or roof are 

combined with internal and external surface resistances, 

then the reciprocal taken, to give the thermal 

transmittance (U-value, units: W/m2K) of the 

element. Additional calculation procedures apply to 

floors, basements and steel framed structures. 

Conduction through materials is one mechanism 

for heat transfer; another, via the movement of air, is 

convection. The third principle mechanism occurs 

due to bodies emitting and absorbing electromagnetic 

radiation at different rates, depending on temperature 

and emissivity. 

Installation 

Thermal insulation is most effective when installed 

as a continuous layer, forming a thermal envelope. 

Interruptions to the insulation layer are 

thermal bridges (or cold bridges), and should be 

avoided as far as possible. They can be the result of 

structural requirements, poor design, or poor 

installation. 

Thermal bridges can be repeating, occurring at 

consistent intervals (like timber rafters, a structural 

frame, or mechanical fixings), or linear, where the 

geometry of a construction element changes or at the 

junction between elements (the floor/wall junction, the 

wall/roof junction, or around door and window openings). 

Gaps in insulation layers can result in warm and cold 

air mixing, and circulating around the insulation layer. 

This is one type of thermal bypass, a collective term 

for different types of air movement (also including air 

infiltration and wind washing) that result in significantly 

increased heat loss. 

Taking a fabric first approach to construction centres 

on reducing heating demand and energy use through 

efficient building fabric (i.e. insulation and well-detailed 

thermal bridges) and passive heating techniques. 

Maximising solar gains through good design maintains 

comfort in winter, with solar shading to limit the 

risk of summer overheating. 

Condensation Risk 

A fabric first approach also relies on airtightness, to 

stop warm air leaking from the building, and controlled 

ventilation, to make sure occupants have 

fresh air to breathe. Design for low energy construction 

typically features a continuous airtightness line 

within the thermal envelope; the level of airtightness 

dictates the ventilation measures that should be 

installed. 

16 16 


Air holds moisture vapour. The warmer the air, the 

more moisture vapour it can hold. When air comes into 

contact with colder surfaces it drops in temperature. 

The temperature at which the air is saturated by its current 

moisture load (100% RH) is the dew point; when 

the air drops below the dew point it can no longer hold 

the excess moisture vapour and deposits it as 

condensation. 

Surface condensation occurs on surfaces that are 

colder than the surrounding construction, such as windows 

or badly detailed thermal bridges, while 

interstitial condensation typically occurs unseen within 

the layers of a construction. 

In terms of general moisture management, materials 

should be selected appropriately. Closed cell products 

absorb limited quantities of moisture and do not 

allow the passage of moisture vapour, unlike vapour 

permeable materials. Older buildings, especially with 

solid walls, often rely on moisture transport through 

the building fabric, so any retrofit measures must be 

sympathetic. 

Acoustics and more 

As well as thermal insulation, fibrous materials also 

provide sound insulation. They can reduce airborne 

sound or act as a resilient layer to deaden vibrations. 

At their heaviest, they can add mass to a building and 

reduce impact sound, including deadening rain noise 

on a roof. 

Other performance characteristics influence a material’s 

suitability for certain applications. Compressive 

strength is the ability to bear imposed loads; some 

products also declare compressive creep to demonstrate 

their behaviour under load for an extended period. 

Specific heat capacity is used to calculate the 

contribution to an element’s thermal mass. Thermal 

insulation products resist the transfer of heat rather than 

storing it, so effective use of thermal mass - also part of 

a fabric 

No: insulation is a technical, 

logical language, born of the laws of 

physics. Much of it is black and white, 

but there remains room for nuance. Used 

well, it is a powerful tool for communicating 

ideas about building design and 

performance. 

first approach - depends on the types of structures into 

which the insulation is installed. 

The introduction of Construction Product Regulations, 

including requiring products to be CE marked to 

harmonised European standards, has raised quality 

and improved the consistency of insulation products. 

An overview like this can never exhaustively cover ‘the 

language of insulation’ but we hope it has proved a 

useful summary of insulation properties and some of 

the issues associated with its use. Did we miss anything 

from the topics covered? Are there other insulation-related 

topics we could do a follow-up on? Get in touch 

and let us know! 


17 

17

@INSULATENETWORK 


insulate network puts 

you in touch via every device 


insulatenetwork


Exclusive Insulate Column 

There is no such thing as a 

Free Lunch 


There’s no such thing as a free lunch, but when a construction product manufacturer wants to 

present to an office full of professionals then making sure they are well fed is virtually a 

prerequisite. It’s a well established system designed to suit both parties - but is it meeting the 

needs of either? by Paul Forrester 

Most professional institutes in the construction 

industry require members to undertake continuing 

professional development (CPD). 

Recognising that any qualification, no matter how 

prestigious, becomes outdated in a shifting landscape 

of legislation changes and ‘innovative’ product 

development, the theory behind CPD is to keep 

knowledge relevant and up to date, readying professionals 

to face new challenges. Different institutes 

guide members in different ways with regard to how 

they should meet their CPD needs. 

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), for example, 

has a ‘core curriculum’, from which a certain 

number of members’ CPD hours should come each 

year. Others give complete freedom, allowing each 

professional to personalise their learning in accordance 

with their individual requirements. 

Structured Learning 

With the rise of different platforms for delivering information, 

so the number of ways it is possible to undertake 

CPD has increased. Podcasts and online learning 

are just as valid as traditional books and magazines; 

delivering training to colleagues or mentoring students 

are legitimate development activities too. 

Construction product manufacturers - insulation 

producers among them - have long been happy to 

support the provision of education. The key is that a 

chosen activity should be planned, and of a level appropriate 

to supporting the identified learning needs. 

If a manufacturer is prepared to offer it, the recipient 

is prepared to travel, and the content has been approved, 

even a factory tour is a possibility. 

Presentations remain the favoured option, however, 

and a CPD coordinator may book a manufacturer to 

attend their office because the topic of a presentation 

is useful to the aims of the organisation as a whole. 

But that doesn’t stop some people from attending 

purely out of convenience, or to boost their CPD hours 

for the current year. 

In a similar vein, while CPD material is expected to not 

be overtly promotional - and is assessed accordingly 

in order to be included in some CPD provider directories 

- it rarely takes a huge logical leap to get from the 

general topic of a seminar to a particular product the 

manufacturer is keen to promote. 

Mixed Feelings 

As a result, it’s not uncommon to come across conflicting 

evidence about the success of in-office lunchtime 

CPD seminars. Feedback forms give recipients 

the chance to express their opinions. A presentation 

might be judged as unbiased by the majority, but one 

or two will always feel it could have been less promotional. 

Where 90% or more of responses are favourable 

though, and where a majority of attendees 

suggest a willingness to specify a company’s products 

in future, the actual rate of conversion into 

specifications can be surprisingly - and disappointingly 

- low. 


19


From the other side, I’ve heard comments from new 

and experienced presenters expressing surprise that 

an audience was less engaged, or had a lower level 

of base knowledge on the subject, than they expected. 

From personal experience, I’ve been willing 

to discuss live projects in relation to a presentation’s 

topics - and had nobody take up the offer. 

Never having been a full-time CPD presenter, I 

recognise isolated examples aren’t necessarily 

representative of a majority of audiences. Anecdotal 

as all this evidence may be, however, it can’t help but 

raise questions - not least whether conventional CPD 

seminars are delivering their intended benefit to 

specifier or manufacturer. 

they might have. If presentation slots fail to fill generous 

seating areas reserved for them, where’s the 

harm in experimenting with more exclusive sessions, 

held away from the noise and distraction of the main 

hall? 

An often-overlooked aspect of CPD is reflection. 

Professionals are expected to consider whether an 

item of CPD met their needs, and adjust their other 

planned activities in response. Whether they do or 

not is a matter for debate, but consider this: manufacturers 

like describing themselves as innovative, 

and show organisers want their event to be the most 

important of its kind. So shouldn’t there be reflection 

on their parts too, about why they keep doing the 

same things? 

A New Approach 

Is it time for trade shows and exhibitions to work 

with manufacturers to develop alternative formats? 

Classroom or workshop arrangements could offer a 

greater level of freedom and interaction, delivering a 

higher quality experience, of greater value, that might 

even generate increased interest from the intended 

target audience. 

Better to address questions the audience on the day 

actually have, rather than ones assumed in advance 

20 



Insulate Columnist 

Support Available 

To Specifiers of Insulation Projects 

Insulate Magazine columnist Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the National Insulation Association 

T 

here are still millions of households and 

commercial and public buildings that are 

yet to be properly insulated and yet 

insulation is still the single most effective 

method of saving energy and money. For 

example a detached home fitted with Solid Wall 

Insulation could save just over £400 per year. 

The National Insulation Association and its members 

offer a comprehensive range of services to specifiers 

looking for support in the design and delivery of their 

upcoming refurbishment and new build projects on 

domestic, commercial and public sector buildings 

and these include: 

• Information, advice and guidance on funding 

opportunities. 

• Assistance with the design, specification and delivery 

of multi property, multi measure upgrades. 

• Access to a national network of accredited 

installers that meet the NIA’s strict membership 

criteria and sign up to its code of professional 

practice. Provides specifiers and project managers 

with assurance and peace of mind when 

choosing an NIA member. 

• Issuing expressions of interest and requests to 

tender for work on behalf of specifiers to NIA 

members. 

• An online member directory www.nia-uk.org 

NIA registered members have significant experience 

of working with energy suppliers, private and social 

housing managers, funders, builders, architects and 

other specifiers in delivering high quality energy efficiency 

schemes. The NIA’s membership includes the 

leading manufacturers/system suppliers and installers 

of all insulation measures so it’s able to offer a one 

stop shop. 

For more information about all the work above 

and membership of the NIA please email 

neil.marshall@nia-uk.org 


21

22 

22 

Ecobuild is Evolving 


Under new ownership, ecobuild 2018 represented a confident transition to what will become 

futurebuild in 2019. By giving more of the construction industry space to shine, it not only 

showcased how buildings are built now but the methods and materials we can expect to see 

in coming months and years by Paul Forrester 

With several full scale houses on display around 

the exhibition hall, the effect of ecobuild highlighting 

more system-based approaches to construction was 

arguably to dilute the impact of traditional product 

manufacturing. Enough manufacturers - including from 

the insulation sector - were present with impressive, 

inviting stands, but the mix across the show was noticeably 

different. 

Insulation will always be an integral part of 

construction projects as occupant comfort, energy 

use and emissions targets remain high on the agenda. 

Overall, however, representation from the sector was 

lower key than in previous years - due, perhaps, to 

both ecobuild’s change in focus, and challenges faced 

by the sector throughout 2017. 

Who was there? 

Insulation companies were, unsurprisingly, to be found 

in the Building Performance hub. Bauder had a large 

presence, but concentrated on their complete roof 

systems; as such they were in the Green & Blue Infrastructure 

hub. 

Rockwool’s stand featured their complete product 

range, as well as interesting case studies to catch 

the eye and a display about the distinction between 

non-combustibility and Class 0 to help answer fire 

performance questions. 

Kingspan promoted their phenolic and polyisocyanurate 

(PIR) rigid foam products, and their ‘Insight’ 

educational platform. Meanwhile, Recticel introduced 

a new PIR range featuring a thermal conductivity of 

0.019 W/mK, alongside their more established offerings. 

Both Kingspan and Recticel included a vacuum 

insulated panel (VIP) on their stands, while Radmat 

focused on the thermal performance benefits and 

insulation thickness savings of VIPs. For now, these 

products continue to be offered predominantly for flat 

roofs, but in coming years it will be interesting to see 

how widely their use extends as the market develops 

its confidence using them. 

Insulation Further Afield 

Many of ecobuild’s international trade pavilions 

included companies offering insulation products. 

Unfortunately, the level of detail available was variable 

and it was rarely clear whether products were available 

from a UK distributor to be able to specify. 

A mineral wool product from Portugal, for example, 

proudly claimed to be derived from sand thanks to 

an unspecified “innovative process”. There were no 

performance claims, but if nothing else it showed the 

potential even for traditional insulation materials to 

surprise.

Meanwhile, a Polish manufacturer 

displayed an insulation board 

made from cellulose - a material 

more 

commonly used in blown applications 

- which they marketed as 

ideal for the sympathetic internal 

upgrade of historic buildings. 

Offsite Takes Off? 

Back in issue 15 of Insulate we 

took a look at offsite manufacturing 

(OSM) and it was certainly 

out in force at ecobuild. Did the 

refreshed thinking behind the 

show encourage more offsite 

companies to attend, or has the 

sector simply come of age and 

ecobuild was the perfect place to 

show it? 

Perhaps it was a combination of 

both, but either way the Offsite 

hub was a buoyant place to be. 

In a show with a well-attended 

seminar programme, the offsite 

talks and discussions seemed 

particularly popular. 

Among the many modular 

building systems and wholehouse 

concepts, Marley were 

prominent in launching their own 

version of a structural insulated 

panel system (SIPS) featuring a 

PIR foam sandwiched between 

two layers of oriented strand 

board (OSB). Most notably, 

perhaps, the foam was green in 

colour! 

Passivhaus Prominence 

Unfortunately, the floor space 

earmarked for the Building 

Research in Architecture group’s 

Passive Pod House did not feature 

what was advertised. 

It is pretty hard to miss a complete 

house, so unfortunately it 

seems the concept did not reach 

the show - but if it had been 

there I would have enjoyed seeing 

an example of their demountable 

Passivhaus-standard home, 

fabricated off site using just five 

main components. 

The UK’s Passivhaus Trust were 

in attendance, and enough build 

systems advertised Passivhaus 

levels of performance to suggest 

that awareness of the standard 

- and highly efficient building 

fabric generally - is growing. One 

system offered by a group of 

Polish companies took a novel 

approach, offering performance 

levels from ‘basic’ to ‘sub-arctic’. 

Education 

The plethora of housing solutions 

going beyond building 

regulations and advocating 

future-proofed building fabric 

was encouraging. A number of 

stands, however, risked undermining 

the trend thanks to confusing 

displays and terminology. 

Several mixed up thermal conductivity 

(W/mK) and U-values 

(W/m2K), making it difficult for 

a trained eye to discern what 

performance was actually being 

claimed. It almost certainly made 

life hard for anyone who was 

less familiar with the terminology 

but interested in doing the right 

thing. 

Large student groups remained 

a noticeable part of ecobuild’s 

visitors, and it is particularly 

worrying to think they’re being 

exposed to inaccurate and 

potentially misleading messaging 

at what is supposed to be one 

of the major exhibitions of the 

construction industry’s year. 

insulate at ecobuild 

For our part, Insulate was 

pleased to have a stand in the 

Building Performance hub. We 

spent the show’s three days 

distributing free copies of the 

magazine and providing a 

showcase for Mauer UK’s 

external wall insulation (EWI) 

system, featured in last month’s 

issue, which deservedly proved 

popular with visitors. 

23 

23 

23 

23



Heat or Eat 

the Need to Tackle Fuel Poverty Crisis 

Simon Storer, Chief Executive of Insulation Manufacturers Association (IMA) 

With the ‘Beast from the East’ striking three times in succession this month and the threat 

of Storm Toby over Easter, this March has certainly been one of the coldest I can recall for 

a long time. This of course means that people need to heat their homes for longer periods 

than they would normally and for those on low incomes and those living in fuel poverty this can 

sometimes mean making difficult choices about whether to heat or eat. 

The consequences of fuel poverty are well-documented 

and include discomfort, ill health, mental illness and 

debt. Fuel poverty is also linked to increased winter 

mortality with a rise in winter deaths associated with 

cold homes. Such is the problem that according to a 

study by the Association for the Conversation of Energy 

(ACE), living in a cold home kills more people than 

road accidents, alcohol or drug abuse. 

But it is not just the vulnerable, frail, and elderly who 

become a statistic. A cold home can mean lower 

educational attainment and lead to social exclusion 

for young children. There are also links to rising costs 

within the NHS in the fight to treat conditions worsened 

by insufficiently heated homes, particularly heart 

and respiratory diseases. 

We all know that energy efficiency improvements 

should play their part in helping those in fuel poverty 

to keep up with rising energy costs, but with government-backed 

delivery of home energy efficiency 

improvements stalling, we inevitably end up playing 

political football with the issue whilst the poorest and 

most vulnerable in society suffer. 

The government’s 2015 Fuel Poverty Strategy, which 

introduced a statutory target to ensure that as many 

fuel poor homes as practically possible achieve a 

minimum energy efficiency rating of Band C by 2030, 

will only be reached if we can upscale installation of 

high performance thermal insulation, to the nation’s 

housing stock. In short, we have to agree the process, 

ensure that the work has been carried out to a decent 

standard and is value for money. This is the real challenge 

we face. 

Firstly, is the need to provide an accurate upfront 

assessment of the existing building by a competent 

assessor, who can then interpret the findings and prescribe 

appropriate energy improvement measures. 

There will be various measures required to refurbish 

a building, but to ensure the right result is achieved 

there has to be coordination between all retrofit activities. 

Getting the fabric of the building well insulated 

should always be the starting point. 

With examples of poor practice in retrofit on the 

increase, it is important that a comprehensive set of 

standards: the assessment, installation and 

commissioning, are all carried out correctly; and the 

consumer has a retrofit that works. Professional 

co-ordination coupled with consumer motivation, 

will deliver a successful retrofit and this is one of the 

key objectives of the Each Home Counts 1 review 

which recommends that there be a quality mark for 

all energy efficiency and renewable energy measures 

to ensure that the consumer receives excellent 

levels of consumer protection, companies adhere to 

a strict code of conduct when operating in the energy 

efficiency arena and that products are installed to 

approved codes of practice. 

24 


Retrofitting insulation works for a whole host 

of reasons from saving money to reducing carbon 

and being good for our health. Whether 

it is an internal or external insulation application, 

it is vitally important we bring the nation’s 

homes up to or beyond an acceptable standard 

by getting the fabric of the building as 

energy efficient as possible. Using the highest 

performing products, such as PIR insulation, 

will go a long way to achieve this. Only then 

will we be able to provide a long-term asset 

that can be passed onto future generations. 

For more information about the Insulation 

Manufacturers 

Association please visit: 

www.insulationmanufacturers.org.uk 

We all know that energy 

efficiency improvements 

should play their part 

in helping those in fuel 

poverty to keep up with 

rising energy costs, but 

with government-backed 

delivery of home energy 

efficiency improvements 

stalling, we inevitably end 

up playing political football 

with the issue whilst the 

poorest and most 

vulnerable in society suffer. 

Simon Storer 

25


Artifical Intelligence 

and the Insulation industry 

Jamie Street Lead Creative at Insulate Network 

What impact will Artificial Intelligence have on the Insulation Industry? From 

insulation products and manufacturing processes to installation and performance 

it’s exciting to speculate how Insulation will be affected by Artificial 

Intelligence. By Jamie Street 

Everyday Artificial Intelligence 

Artificial Intelligence has always been a fascination 

for me and for many I’m sure. From Terminator and 

Robocop to i-Robot and Westworld, the prospect of 

a world populated by robots is common in Hollywood 

and all forms of visual entertainment. 

In the UK we have already had the pleasure of 

self-service checkouts for almost a decade. Amazon’s 

Go 1 has seen the first introduction of “no lines, no 

checkouts”, giving customers in the U.S unprecedented 

shopping freedom. In Dubai they have recently 

launched their first “robotic cop” to handle smaller 

workforce duties. Whilst In Japan and China we are 

already seeing the rapid replacement of humans on 

the factory production line, with the long term goal of 

replacing human labour altogether 3 . 

Whilst Artificial Intelligenceis often seen as the “future”, 

there is no denying the future is upon us. 

Vision for the Future 

A recent article from construction enquirer 4 

discusses Balfour Beatty’s vision for construction 

sites in 2050. Balfour believe the majority of work will 

be done off-site, work will be completed by robotic 

cranes and diggers overseen by drones. Construction 

materials will be dynamic and capable of self-assembly, 

on-site humans would wear exoskeletons to 

improve performance whilst others would be deployed 

off-site to monitor drones and cameras from afar. 

Terms like “offsite”, “drones” and even “exoskeletons” 

are more than familiar in todays vocabulary, so this 

picture for 2050 is already materialising. 

Paul Forrester’s 5 “offsite” feature in issue 

15 of insulate magazine and the 

signifiant presence of offsite at 

ecobuild this year is 

just the tip of the 

iceberg. 

26


Insulation Technology 

Furthermore, an announcement from Caterpiller 

provides some insight into the Artificial Intelligence 

we can expect to see on construction sites in the 

not too distant future. The article details Caterpillar’s 

recent investment into a brick-laying robot capable 

of laying 1,000 bricks an hour 

A Complex Concept 

So is Artificial Intelligence unavoidable and we 

should all fear for our jobs? Well there appears to 

be a bit of ironing out to be done when it comes to 

more intricate detailed tasks 

A recent article from TRIB live 7 highlights BMW’s 

requirement for human skills over AI for intricate and 

complex tasks at their largest factory. In the same 

article, Cisco Systems notes the complications 

Unsurpising Evolution 

It probably doesn’t seem a shock to many that 

Artificial Intelligence will be a dominant feature of 

the construction industry work force in years to 

come. Factories and building sites have used machines 

for years, off-site construction continues to 

grow in popularity and newer technologies such as 

BIM are now common phrases in the construction 

landscape. 

However, as with all industries it does raise 

questions over the role of humans and the 

investment required to adopt the 

new technologies. 

with extracting data 

from highly automated 

manufacturing processes. 

Issues of trust are also a 

significant factor. The issue of 

speed seems to be a stumbling 

block when it comes to more 

intricate tasks. The BBC 8 reported 

that burger flipping robot had to be 

taken offline because it was too slow. 

Despite these teething problems, it’s a matter of 

time before issues of speed, efficiency and even 

trust are overcome and robots of a common fixture. 

But What About Insulation? 

At this stage you are probably wondering, “But 

What about Insulation?”. Well here goes. 

As a key component within the construction 

process, the forecasts from Balfour Beatty will 

undoubtedly play a significant role. Robotic 

installation, self-assembly, off-site construction 

and more. 

We are already seeing leading manufacturers 

utilising virtual reality at exhibitions to showcase 

their products, which points towards a similar 

embrace when it comes to more advanced 

Artificial intelligence. 


27


Insulation Technology 

Insulation Products and Artificial Intelligence 

Will the capabilities of Artificially Intelligent life forms 

be so advanced that they are able to identify insulation 

products that offer better performance in specific 

environments and locations? Perform scientific 

calculations that allow for the development of insulation 

solutions that haven’t previously been considered? 

Or the lower risk to human error by making it 

possible to use materials that were previously overlooked? 

It’s exciting to consider how insulation products will 

evolve as a consequence of Artificial Intelligence. In 

the short-term Insulation products will undoubtedly be 

thinner, lighter and better performing than ever before. 

A big question to ask is whether insulation materials 

and products will be a standalone product category 

at all? Is Structural Insulation Panels (SIPS) a sign of 

things to come as insulation becomes integral to other 

elements of construction? 

Will construction materials become like the modern 

mobile phone, becoming “smart” materials that 

integrate thermal and acoustic benefits into one single 

high performance kitchen top? 

Insulation Manufacturing 

The visions for on-site construction will be ten-fold 

when it comes to Artificial Intelligence’s impact on 

insulation manufacturing. Insulation factories will be 

populated with even more robotic machines than they 

are today, monitored by drones and watched over by 

human inspection. 

Artificial Intelligence will undoubtedly reduce the 

margin of error, improve efficiency and increase output 

when it comes to Insulation manufacturing process. 

The potential for enhanced output of insulation products 

as a result of Artificial Intelligence will be most 

apparent with 24 hour, 365 day operation becoming 

normality. No staff breaks, no holidays, no errors, less 

health and safety implications. The cost of AI will be 

significant, but the yield benefits appear to justify its 

early adoption. 

Insulation Distribution 

With Heavy Good Vehicles (HGV) predicted to move 

from one location to another without a human driver 

becoming more of a reality, it’s fascinating to consider 

how insulation distribution will be affected. If much 

of the construction is completed off-site will the days 

of insulation panels and boards being shipped from 

factory to construction site be a thing of the past? 

Advances are likely to have positive implications in 

the reduction of energy consumption and carbon foot 

print, but more importantly what role will insulation 

distributors play in the future? 

With construction taking place off-site will their 

services be as essential as they are today and how 

will their role need to change to accommodate such 

changes in the industry? 

Insulation Installation 

The degree of accuracy and speed achievable by 

future robots suggests humans will have a limited role 

in insulation installlation. Insulation materials will likely 

be installed off-site and any on-site installation will be 

conducted by robots, significantly reducing build times 

and human error. 

The influence on installation will be effected by the 

form insulation products will take in years to come. 

Will insulation products be primarily sprayed to exact 

depths, without any significant human involvment? 

28 www.insulatenetwork.com


The implications of Artificial 

Intelligence on the Insulation industry as 

with all industry’s will undoubtedly be 

significant, effecting every process along 

the path towards a buildings completion 

That answer would appear to be yes, at least for 

some applications. As featured in the Decemeber 

issue of Insulate Magazine, the Q-Bot 9 robot delivers 

sprayfoam underfloors to precise depths, whilst saving 

money and time. It can’t be long until Insulation panels 

and rolls can be installed at unimaginable speeds and 

incredible accuracy. AI may even help overcome the 

cocerns over human error frequently associated with 

insulation installation. 

It’s realistic to envisage that AI developments will 

speed up build times in all areas of construction, 

with projects being completed in weeks if not days. 

24 hour operation is a possibility with modern methods 

potentially reducing the noise, disturbances and 

delays caused by all stages of construction. These 

factors would be also be vastly reduced if the majority 

of the work is completed offsite. It’s overwhelming to 

consider how rapidly existing landscapes and skylines 

will develop in short periods of time. 

Space for Debate 

The implications of Artificial Intelligence on the 

Insulation industry as with all industry’s will 

undoubtedly be significant, effecting every process 

along the path to a buildings completion. I have only 

scratched the surface of its potential impact and 

it would be interesting to hear from experts in the 

insulation industry on how they envisage the future will 

unfold. Maybe you already know? 

Share your thoughts on the impact of 

Artificial Intelligence on the Insulation Industry, 

send your comments to news@insulatenetwork. 

com or @insulatenetwork on twitter. 

References 

1. Amazon Go 

2. Robotic Cop in Dubai 

3. The Robot Revolution : The New Age of Manufacturing 

4. Construction Enquirers: Balfour Beatty’s Artificial Intelligance vision 

5. The Spotlight is on Offsite Construction, Paul Forrester 

6. Caterpillar, 1,000 bricks per hour 

7. Burger Flipping robot taken offline after one day, BBC 

8. TRIB Live, Why the Robot takeover is proceeding slowly 

9. Q-Bot The Robot for Insulating Under Floors 

Jamie Street, 

Creative at Insulate Network 

@jamie_insulate 


29

A site for 

sore eyes 

Looking at the advantages of BBA Certification 

As you well know, major construction work on building sites 

involves a huge amount of product and materials checking, not 

least to make sure everything meets the exacting requirements 

of building regulations. This can be stressful at the best of times 

and a helping hand is always welcome. 

That’s why more and more people are coming to the BBA for 

off-site certification of their products. For many years now, our 

work in the offsite construction sector has brought peace of mind 

to hundreds of architects and manufacturers alike. 

BBA Agrément Certificates are widely read and respected by 

industry decision-makers who want to select innovative products 

that have been thoroughly assessed by the BBA. Our assessors 

have decades of experience in evaluating Offsite Construction, 

and we are currently assessing many new systems, adding to the 

many already approved including insulated concrete formwork, 

SIPs and framed systems. 

Of course, our main focus is on the requirements of Building 

Regulations — not just in England and Wales, but also in Scotland 

and Northern Ireland. But we go much further than that. We 

want to ensure that a system is not only waterproof, warm and 

structurally sound; it has to be durable, too. No-one wants to buy 

a system with a short life expectancy, so we seek to ensure that it 

will last for an appropriate period of time. 

Neither are our assessments simply desk exercises. As well as 

testing, we go out to the factory to check system documentation 

and control, making sure that the specification we approve is 

capable of being produced consistently. 

We also go out on site to see units being offloaded and installed. 

That’s because we know that what may seem simple when 

explained in a dry office or factory can turn out to be very 

different on a building site. 

Once we have gathered data from testing, factory inspections 

and site surveillance, we consider how we can use it to establish 

that the requirements of Building Regulations and other statutory 

or non-statutory documents have been met. 

BBA Agrément Certificates are regarded as quite simply the best 

assurances you can get for your off-site products. With BBA’s 50 

years of unrivalled expertise in building and construction 

certification, it’s easy to see why. 

clientservices@bba.star.co.uk 

www.bbacerts.co.uk 

01923 665300



Embracing Ecommerce 

Time to take Advantage of Online Opportunities 

Andrian Sanders, Director of Ecommerce, Construction Materials Online 

A 

drian Saunders, Director of eCommerce, Construction Materials Online, analyses the benefits 

of eCommerce for the construction industry, and looks at why it is becoming the first choice 

for professionals looking to source materials. 

The construction industry has firmly entered an era of 

connection, with technology radically transforming the 

supply chain. eCommerce is now a trusted alternative 

to traditional building merchants, not just offering 

opportunities for significant cost savings, but also 

improved productivity, a greater choice of products 

and access to expert support 

Construction professionals want fair pricing and a 

varied product range, alongside the convenience of 

an online retail experience, and a recent survey we 

conducted of over 200 professionals from across all 

construction trades, to analyse this shift in behaviour, 

revealed that 94% now find that online. 

Whilst traditional high street builders’ merchants favour 

the bricks and mortar approach, product choice is 

limited, and employees often lack the expert knowledge 

required to make informed recommendations 

based on a specific project. With 44% of professionals 

now opting for online sourcing in comparison to just 

24% favouring high street and commercial merchants, 

it’s clear that eCommerce is becoming the preferred 

choice. 

Construction eCommerce is built on the fundamentals 

of modern online customer behaviour, offering a more 

collaborative and innovative approach to sourcing 

materials, unrestricted by store opening times. Made 

to order and bespoke products can also be sourced 

quickly, whilst expert online support teams can advise 

on how best a project can meet budgets and exceed 

building requirements and regulations. 

Usually offering far greater product selections and 

competitive pricing, it’s little wonder that buying online 

is now the favoured option. More than half of survey 

respondents agreed, revealing that visits to builders’ 

merchant chains in the past year have been marred by 

product stock shortages - with 55% also witnessing 

product price rises. 

With the quality and variety of materials continuing to 

advance at a rapid pace, it can be difficult for 

traditional merchants to keep up. Combined with the 

time taken to source materials from the high street, 

eCommerce is a viable solution which can significantly 

improve productivity, saving valuable time in an industry 

focused on meeting tight build deadlines. 

Our own company growth is evidence of this, with 

over 50,000 products available across our three 

eCommerce brands, Roofing Superstore, Drainage 

Superstore and Insulation Superstore. Roofing Superstore 

is also now the largest online supplier of roofing 

materials in the UK, and with strong relationships with 

some of the world’s leading manufacturers, it is the 

‘one stop shop’ for roofing materials. 

We are focused on providing a bespoke, human approach 

to eCommerce and are a trusted online source 

of building materials - with over 8,000 independent 

customer reviews on Trust Pilot, over 90% of which 

are positive. 

With demand only set to increase for easier and more 

efficient methods of purchasing, the industry now 

needs to embrace eCommerce, understanding the 

value and benefits it brings. 


31


Content Partners 

National Insulation Association (NIA) 

The NIA represents the insulation industry in the UK and our members include manufacturers and 

installers of a number of insulation solutions for your home or business. Both the NIA and its members 

are fully committed to maintaining and raising standards within the insulation industry. 

Contact Name: Neil Marshall Email: neil.marshall@nia-uk.org Website: http://www.nia-uk.org/ Social: 

@NIALtd 

Mineral Wool Insulation Manufacturers Association (MIMA) 

Established in 1962 (originally as ‘Eurisol’), the Mineral Wool Insulation Manufacturers Association 

(MIMA) provides an authoritative source of independent information and advice 

on glass and stone wool. MIMA actively promotes the benefits of mineral wool insulation 

and the contribution it makes to the energy efficiency of buildings and the comfort and 

wellbeing of their occupants. 

Contact Name: Sarah Kostense-Winterton Email: sarah@mima.info Website: www.mima.info/ Social: 

@MIMA_UK 

Insulation Manufacturers Association (IMA) 

Insulation Manufacturers Association (IMA) is the representative body for the PIR and PUR 

insulation industry in the UK. Known for 40 years as BRUFMA, IMA will continue to speak 

out on behalf of its members and seek to ensure it is the principal point of contact for all 

audiences relevant to the sector. 

Contact Name: Mel Price Email: mel.price@insulationmanufacturers.org.uk 

Website: www.insulationmanufacturers.org.uk Social: 

@IMA_Org 


32

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SIG help us run our 

business smoothly. 

We know we can 

always rely on their 

expert support. 

HAYLEY REYNOLDS 

ITECH ROOFWORKS LTD 

AN SIG CUSTOMER 

BUILD YOUR NAME ON US 

No one knows 

Insulation like SIG 

SIG Insulation started out 60 years ago. Since then we’ve grown to become the UK’s 

leading specialist distributor of insulation, dry lining and related products to the 

construction sector. 

It’s not just our vast product range and major brands that sets us apart from the 

competition. The unrivalled technical expertise and impartial advice of our staff – who 

each have on average 10 years experience within SIG – help you source the products 

you need, and guide you through what the legislation means to your project. 

And when getting the job done relies on having the right products at the right time, you 

need a fast, reliable supplier with UK-wide branches, a huge delivery network and stock 

always available. 

Contact your local branch via www.siginsulation.co.uk

Insulate Magazine - April Issue 17

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