Old Ford car site converted into energy efficient affordable homes

A four-acre site, originally part of the Ford Dagenham car plant, will provide a new home for 325 residential units in a series of five to ten storey apartment buildings.The Merrielands Crescent project is part of the London Riverside Opportunity Area, a 3,000-hectare regeneration zone designated in the London Plan for up to 26,500 homes across the borough of Barking & Dagenham.

The construction of the Merrielands development is managed by Inland Partnerships, on behalf of Clarion Housing Group, the UK’s largest housing association.

15,000m2 of the Wraptite® airtightness membrane from the A. Proctor Group features in the design.Wraptite is the only self-adhering vapour permeable air barrier certified by the BBA and combines the critical properties of vapour permeability and airtightness in one self-adhering membrane.

Unmanaged or uncontrolled airflow can act as a carrier for moist air, drawing it from outside or pulling it from inside into walls, ceilings and roofs. As a result, unmanaged airflow will almost certainly influence the energy efficiency of the building, and uncontrolled moist air movement will have a long term detrimental effect on the durability and life of the building.

Including the Wraptite System within the facade design helps ensure “as-designed” performance, narrowing the gap between as-designed and actual energy performance and reducing the likelihood of potential failures to meet required airtightness levels.

The Wraptite membrane provides an effective alternative to using a traditional internal air barrier. Wraptite is a self-adhesive breather membrane applied externally, quickly and efficiently as part of the rainscreen system.

Traditional internal air barriers will need to accommodate building services such as electrical, lighting, heating and drainage systems, increasing the gap between as designed and built. However, the Wraptite membrane fully bonds to virtually any substrate, requiring no mechanical attachment and minimal amount of seals or tapes to suppress air leakage around junctions or penetrations.

Another key benefit of the Wraptite system is the high level of protection afforded to the building fabric beneath the cladding.The high vapour permeability of Wraptite allows the substrate beneath to dry quickly and moisture vapour to escape and reduces the likelihood of mould, mildew, condensation, timber distortion and metal corrosion.