TRADIS® Closed Panel Wall and Roof System Using Masonite Products Specified for New Low Energy School
The TRADIS® Closed Panel Wall and Roof system featuring Masonite products has been put to good use at East Lothian Council's new £9.6 million Sanderson Wynd Primary School at Tranent. The system consists of pre-insulated panels designed to provide thermal performance to the highest standard. This timber frame wall and warm roof system comprises Masonite engineered timber I-Joists and Beams; Panelvent® sheathing boards; Warmcel® 500 insulation; Paneline® internal sheathing board and a vapour control layer specified to provide the minimum vapour resistance difference between the warm and cold side of the panel.
Masonite I-Joists combine a machine stress graded timber flange with either a Masonite K40 or Class 3 OSB structural board web. The I-Joists are manufactured in accordance with the environmental management system ISO 14001 and utilise wood fibre certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) with full chain of custody processes.
Panelvent® is a 9.2mm sheathing board, developed specifically for the timber frame industry as an alternative to plywood or OSB. Panelvent® combines the benefits of a category 1 racking strength with a water vapour open construction. Manufactured from wood chips and forest thinnings, Panelvent® combines low formaldehyde emissions in use with low embodied energy in manufacture.
Warmcel® 500 Thermal Insulation is produced from recycled newspaper with positive eco assessment ratings. It is breathable insulation: allowing moisture vapour to travel through the timber frame void. It has competitive 'U' values compared to mineral fibre quilt and high levels of accreditation/certification from BBA, LPCB and BREEAM.
Paneline® is a 6.4mm internal sheathing board, developed as an internal lining, and used to create a void for injecting Warmcel® 500. Manufactured from wood chips and forest thinnings, Paneline® also utilises the unique Masonite defibration system to combine low formaldehyde emissions in use and low embodied energy in manufacture.
In combination, this Closed Panel System offers a breathable system (EVT – Enhanced Vapour Transfer); excellent sustainable code environmental credentials; a high build speed and clean installation process; enhanced flexibility in terms of build design; and lightweight but strong structures.
At Sanderson Wynd Primary School over 700 panels were designed and manufactured by Eden Frame, a sustainable building construction company. Overall, 460 200mm wall panels covering 5,700m2 and 240 450mm roof panels covering 5,000m2 were installed over just seven weeks, using six operatives on behalf of the main contractor, Hart Builders of Edinburgh.
Commenting on the Masonite Closed Panel Wall and Roof System, Trevor Lowis of Eden Frame says:
“We've used this system on several schemes for roofs,walls and floors, and the off-site element of it means a shorter build time with speedy erection on site.
“One of our developments: four luxury low energy Eco Homes at Cliburn for which this system was used, achieved levels of insulation that are twice that required by the Building Regulations. We find it an efficient and easy to use build method and would recommend it highly.”
Sanderson's Wynd Primary School was formally opened recently by Fiona Hsylop, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning. She is very enthusiastic about the range of eco-friendly features in the new school, including automatic lighting that reacts to the amount of daylight in the room and switches itself off when there is no one there, a windmill and solar panels on the roof to provide some of the school’s electricity, and a panel in the school hall to show children how much energy they are generating at any one time. Other environmentally friendly features include recycling rainwater from the roof to flush the school’s toilets. Any extra rainwater will go into the school’s pond and aquatic garden. Commenting on the new premises, Ms Hyslop says:
“Sanderson’s Wynd Primary is one of the first in a new generation of low-energy schools which is leading the way in school design.”
