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The £2.3 billion Elephant Park regeneration project in the Elephant & Castle area of London aims to create one of the most sustainable inner-city areas in Europe. There are five phases, the third of which is currently live with eleven buildings divided into two plots – Park Central (North) and East Grove – providing 829 homes in total. Brick-finished midrise blocks to 11 and 12-storeys feature throughout and there are two main towers, one at 24-storey, the other 25-storey. Construction of the towers uses around 19,000 m2 of aluminium unitised façade panels supplied by FKN and Lindner, delivered complete with integrated sliding doors and openings ready for ventilation devices. There are hundreds of cantilever steel balconies throughout the project too, also pre-fabricated (including flooring and glazed balustrades) and supplied by Dearneside Fabrications Ltd.
Avoidance of thermal bridging is critical
With steel having such high conductivity, the avoidance of thermal bridging is critical throughout. Local heat loss is a major factor, resulting in more energy being required to maintain the building’s internal temperature. Also, low internal surface temperatures local to any thermal bridge can cause condensation, which is likely to result in structural integrity problems with absorbent materials. Mould growth too is a possible risk and can cause asthma and allergies. The thermal performance at the connectivity points involving the balconies and the commercial façades therefore needed careful consideration. The Schöck Isokorb is universally recognised for its performance capability with balcony design detailing – but is less widely known for its ability to dramatically improve thermal performance involving façade engineering. On this project, as the thermal zone sits outside the slab zone, the Schöck Isokorb T type S offers the ideal solution to both situations.
Unique and versatile
The versatile Schöck Isokorb T type S structural thermal break is the ideal connectivity solution for steel-to-steel applications. There are two variants, the T type S-N for tensile force and the T type S-V for transferring compression and shear forces. It is the only approved thermal break product that satisfies the load-bearing and thermal insulation requirements for steel design. Also, being a modular unit, it can be adapted to all profile sizes and load bearing capacity requirements – plus it can be used in both new construction and renovation projects.
Totally verifiable performance
In addition to steel-to-steel, the comprehensive Isokorb range also offers solutions for concrete-to-steel, concrete-to-concrete – and even a maintenance free alternative to wrapped parapets. Products meet full compliance with the relevant UK building regulations, have NHBC approval, offer LABC Registration and the security of independent BBA Certification. The requirement that the temperature factor used to indicate condensation risk (fRSI) must be greater than, or equal to, 0.75 for residential buildings is also easily met by incorporating the Isokorb.
Contact Schöck on 01865 290 890; or visit the website at www.schoeck.com for full details of the Isokorb T type S and all other Isokorb solutions