The former site of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), on The Ridgeway at Mill Hill, in North London, is being redeveloped by Barratt London as a major residential development known as Ridgeway Views. The NIMR building, with its distinctive green copper-roof, has been a local landmark since the 1950s, but more recently the Medical Research Council decided the NIMR should relocate. In 2016 it became part of the Francis Crick Institute in St Pancras. Work on the forty-seven acre site is due to be completed by the end of 2021 comprising around 460 residential units, with apartments across nineteen buildings of three to nine-storeys and twelve three-storey houses. New offices, leisure facilities and a café will also feature.
Thermal performance is critical
Minimising energy use by improving thermal performance is key and the prevention of thermal bridging is critical to this, particularly within the balcony and parapet detailing. Ineffective insulation at the connection points means local heat loss, resulting in more energy being required to maintain the internal temperature of the building. Also, low internal surface temperatures can cause condensation, leading to structural integrity problems and even the potentially serious occurrence of mould growth.
A variety of connections
Schöck Isokorb structural thermal breaks are being installed throughout to minimise thermal bridging risk. For the concrete-to-concrete cantilever balconies it is mainly the Isokorb with 80mm insulation thickness that is used, transferring both negative moments and positive shear forces. For the recessed balconies where there is continuous support, a variant of the same Isokorb is installed. Steel-to-steel connectivity on the project uses a modular unit which can meet practically any profile size and load-bearing capacity. A special requirement here involved a steel balcony needing to be bolted down to a precast plank. To achieve this an L-shaped bracket was first fixed to the slab, then a stub bracket and balcony attached to the bracket using the modular Isokorb.
The Isokorb with 120mm insulation thickness for parapets is also used within the first phase of the development. Parapets are just as prone to thermal bridging problems as balconies and the conventional insulation method is to wrap the perimeter of the wall with an insulation barrier. With the Isokorb no wrapping is required
Totally verifiable performance
The comprehensive Schöck Isokorb range meets full compliance with the relevant UK building regulations, has NHBC approval and offers LABC Registration. There is also the security of independent BBA Certification. The requirement too that the temperature factor used to indicate condensation risk (fRSI) must be greater than, or equal to, 0.75 for residential buildings is easily met by incorporating the Isokorb.
Contact Schöck on 01865 290 890; or visit the website at www.schoeck.co.uk for a free copy of the Schöck Thermal Bridging Guide; the Schöck Specifiers Guide and to view the full range of downloadable software.