The Quintain Wembley Park regeneration, one of London’s largest housing delivery schemes, is still scheduled for completion in 2027, despite current world events. The latest residential development nearing finalisation is Beton, also known as site W06. With the stadium directly behind and its frontage on Wembley Park Boulevard, it will provide 150 dwellings over 11 storeys. The project utilises a variety of concrete frame techniques, including slipform concrete cores and a skeletal concrete frame installation. The building exterior features hand-set brick, a punched window façade – and elegant slide-on balconies – an aesthetic and appealing addition to the new development. As with many of the other projects at Wembley Park, Schöck Isokorb load-bearing thermal insulation elements are critical to the balconies structural and long–term insulation performance. The modular design of the Isokorb type used on Beton means it can be adapted to all profile sizes and load bearing capacity requirements. On this occasion the units were fixed to a cast-in plate, rebars and a stub bracket. The balcony cantilever support arm was then attached to the stub and the fully pre-assembled balcony chassis slid on to the cantilever arm and locked into position.
Thermal bridging is a serious issue
Ineffective insulation at cantlever connectivity points will result in local heat loss and this major consequence of thermal bridging means that more energy is required to maintain the internal temperature of the building. In additiion, low internal surface temperatures in the area of the thermal bridge can cause condensation, leading not only to structural integrity problems with absorbent materials such as insulation products or plasterboard, but also mould growth. This can have serious health implications for residents in the form of asthma and allergies. So for any project involving balcony connectivity the prevention of thermal bridging is a critical issue.
Construction dependability and freedom of design
As the leading international supplier of structural thermal breaks, Schöck has almost limitless variants available in its main Isokorb range, offering planners complete construction dependability and enormous freedom of design. The comprehensive Schöck Isokorb range offers solutions for concrete-to-concrete, concrete-to-steel, steel-to-steel, a thermally insulating connection for reinforced concrete walls – and even a maintenance free alternative to wrapped parapets. All products meet full compliance with the relevant UK building regulations; have NHBC approval; offer LABC Registration and independent BBA Certification. The temperature factor used to indicate condensation risk (fRSI) which must be greater than, or equal to, 0.75 for residential buildings, is also easily met by incorporating the Isokorb.
For a free copy of the Schöck Thermal Bridging Guide; the Schöck Specifiers Guide or to view the range of downloadable software, contact Schöck on 01865 290 890 or visit the website at www.schoeck.co.uk
