Euroform Product’s Versaroc® MPA1 sheathing board has been used in the construction of Europe’s largest living wall at Eden, Salford, which is set to be one of the UK’s most sustainable office buildings.
Eden is a £36 million, 115,000 sq ft, 12-storey office building at New Bailey in Salford, being developed by The English Cities Fund (ECF) – a strategic joint venture between nationwide placemaker, Muse, Legal & General and Homes England. The main contractor is Bowmer + Kirkland.
The jewel in Eden’s crown will be a living façade, which at 43,000 sq ft will be the second largest in the world and the biggest in Europe. The façade is designed to remove air pollutants including carbon, reduce urban temperatures offering thermal benefits to occupiers, and deliver a 174% net gain in the biodiversity of the area, while providing a high-quality green space.
Euroform’s Versaroc® MPA1 is part of the living wall structure, which involves a steel frame. A fibre cement board comprising ordinary Portland cement with inorganic reinforcing fibres, Versaroc® MPA1 is intended for exterior sheathing of SFS frames due to its high durability and non-combustibility.
Versaroc® MPA1 achieves EuroClass A1 Reaction to Fire according to EN 13501-1:2018 and has third party Agrément from Kiwa BDA for steel frame sheathing application – certificate number BAW-20-154-P-A-UK. Versaroc® MPA1 is also highly moisture tolerant and has achieved category A performance to EN 12467:2012 + A2:2018. As indicated, category A is the highest level of performance that fibre cement sheets can achieve in terms of resistance to the destructive effects of varying climatic conditions including severe frost, a critical consideration for the requirements of the board used within the Eden façade.
A wide range of systems may be applied over Versaroc® MPA1 such as approved ETICS systems, terracotta cladding systems, high performance cladding systems and traditional brick coursework.
Ordered and installed by Lester Cladding, Euroform has supplied nearly 50,000 sq ft of Versaroc® MPA1 to site.
Mark Atkinson, Euroform Product’s national commercial manager said,
“Naturally, we are excited that our Versaroc® MPA1 product is part of the ground-breaking and prestigious new Eden office building. As we are Warrington-based, it is particularly good to have our product selected for what will become a landmark in our region.”
Once complete, Eden will have the capability to run on 100% renewable electricity and has been designed using the UK Green Building Council’s 2035-2050 standards. Designed by Make Architects, Eden aims to be the standard-bearer in environmentally-conscious development and occupier wellbeing.
Eden is part of the wider 50-acre, £1bn Salford Central regeneration.
Euroform Products has been developing, fabricating and supplying materials for the construction industry since 1995. Euroform specialises in ensuring fire and thermal compliance across its product range. Each product is supported by an experienced and knowledgeable technical team to provide advice and guidance.
Euroform is part of Performance Technology Group an SIG Trading Ltd group of companies specialising in supporting the construction industry to meet acoustic, fire, thermal and vibration challenges.