The Building Envelope

Changes to Part L have significant ramifications for new build – but also replacement programmes. We report...

The Government is expected to unveil its interim update to Part L next month [Oct]. Stopping short of the far more comprehensive changes to follow in 2025 ,with the introduction of the Future Homes Standard, they nonetheless have significant ramifications for new build and refurbishment programmes – including windows and doors.

John Duckworth, Head of Sales, Commercial, Deceuninck, explains: “The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is expected to publish its revision of Part L in this October, coming into effect in England and Wales from July next year.

“While it doesn’t go anywhere near as far as the Future Homes Standard, its ramifications are significant for new build and refurbishment projects, pushing up minimum standards at a time when COVID-related supply chain disruption is already pushing up costs and disrupting delivery.

“Planning now to take out the guess work is critical.”

System selection should be based on proven performance and delivered by a specialist contractor with outstanding track record.
 
d+b facades A1 non-combustible fire-rated system has demonstrated its performance for more than 30 years on projects with zero deterioration. Self-cleaning surfaces and no requirement for maintenance ensure that buildings retain their as-new appearance for the 60+ years design life of the system.

To complete an award-winning renovation scheme, the London Borough of Islington retained a tried and tested team to deliver a continued single source of accountability of estate refurbishment.

Thus, residents in Salisbury Walk on the Girdlestone Estate are benefitting from improved thermal and natural light performance, guaranteed to last for decades.
The renovation of the estate’s roofs won the Reinforced Bituminous Membrane category in the 2018 Roofing Awards. The award-winning team of Mears Group plc, Langley Waterproofing Systems Ltd, and Langley Approved Contractor Opus Waterproofing Solutions Ltd was utilised to deliver this latest phase.

Solar panels have formed an ever-expanding feature of the UK roofscape, and regulation changes, allied to the Government’s Future Homes Standard, intend to make UK new homes ‘zero carbon ready’ by 2025.  The prospect is for roofs to become a mainstream element of the renewable energy economy.

These are exciting times for INCA, the Insulated Render and Cladding Association, the trade association solely focused upon external wall insulation (EWI), a cladding form used in both refurbishment and new build sectors. The market for EWI is seeing a healthy growth, membership of INCA is flourishing and in its 40th year, the association is now launching a new brand image to propel it into its next phase of development.

Within the public sector, INCA provides a valuable service to building professionals through the supply of essential information and guidance and a directory of members able to tackle residential and commercial buildings in need of fabric improvements in their energy efficiency. Through the use of high performing insulation and a range of facade finishes, low, mid and high rise buildings can be improved beyond recognition. INCA is an association representing specialists of all sizes with a track record of professional knowledge and experience.

As concerns about inadequate roof fire barrier installation grow, Marley’s Roof Defence can help housing association specifiers deliver guaranteed protection against the spread of hidden roof fires.

Building Regulations require that new homes are built with fire protection measures to delay the spread of fire and allow crucial time to escape. So, when a roof is compartmentalised between adjoining homes, fire barriers are seen as an integral safety feature, to prevent the spread of flames and smoke in case of a fire.

A combination of wall and roofing membranes from Glidevale Protect has been specified and installed on a new build social housing scheme built by Countryside Properties PLC, working in partnership with the affordable housing provider, emh group.
The Protect TF200® breather membrane, branded as Countryside Properties, has been used on all external walls to offer protection during construction and to allow water vapour to escape into the external wall cavity, minimising the risk of condensation within the structure.  All pitched roofs across the site feature Protect VP300, the LR vapour permeable underlay, providing a secondary line of defence to the roof covering, ensuring water tightness and suitable wind uplift resistance to meet the wind zone requirements of the site’s location.