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Rockwool improves Nottinghams MP's green credentials
Nottingham MP, Alan Simpson has used Rockwool’s complete high performance external wall insulation, RockShield, to maximise the energy efficiency in his new, environmentally sound, self-build home in the city.
Converting an unused Nottingham inner city building into a highly sustainable family home was both a statement of commitment by Alan to his Nottingham South constituency and an opportunity to exercise his strong green principles.
In addition to some radical alterations, including the installation of the solar panels and a water recycling system, Rockwool’s RockShield was used to insulate the exterior envelope of the refurbished property.
Julian Marsh of project architects, Marsh and Grochowski, commented on the new build: “Sited behind a local pub, the building, which was previously known as the Lacemaker’s House, had been disused for at least 60 years and needed extensive work.
“The external walls are solid, two bricks thick with no cavity, so we needed to apply external insulation. We used 110mm of Rockwool RockShield, which was mechanically fixed to the wall and rendered over. Rockwool was chosen for its unrivalled sustainability credentials, thermal performance and durability.
“Durability is particularly important for this project because one of the property walls backs onto the pub car park, making it vulnerable to damage by poorly parked cars. Unlike rigid insulation materials, which would rapidly crack and deteriorate, Rockwool will withstand this kind of impact, without compromising its integrity or thermal efficiency.”
Rockwool Rockfloor was also used over the ground floor slab and Rockwool Flexi was used for insulating the roof space of the property.
Rockwool stone wool insulation is one of the most environmentally friendly and energy efficient construction products available and meets the highest standards of ‘cradle to cradle’ sustainability, energy conservation and recyclability.
It is manufactured using igneous volcanic rock, an abundantly-available resource. Over the lifetime of the building, the energy saved could be 100s of times more than that consumed to manufacture the Rockwool insulation.
Rockwool stone wool insulation has a low embodied energy of 16.8MJ/Kg and has zero Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP) and Global Warming Potential (GWP). Its excellent thermal properties significantly cut energy consumption in homes, reducing the need to burn fossil fuels and therefore helping to minimise harmful emissions of greenhouse gases.
