A stylish development in the heart of London is the latest project to benefit from the excellent thermal efficiency of products from the Kingspan Kooltherm range.
Fitzroy Place has been constructed on the 3-acre site of the old Middlesex Hospital. The original site was completely flattened aside from the chapel and sections of the original Victorian façade. This gave developers, Exemplar and Aviva Investors, a blank canvas on which to create the new mixed-use estate. Sheppard Robson and Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands prepared the ambitious design which includes 235 private apartments, 54 affordable homes, two office buildings, restaurant and retail spaces.
The estate, constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine, has been designed with a focus on detail and quality which extends to the energy performance of the development. The domestic elements of the site achieve an enhanced level of energy efficiency when compared with the Building Regulations, whilst the office blocks hold a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’. To meet these requirements, a fabric-first approach was adopted and several Kingspan Kooltherm products were specified across the site.
The façade of the new buildings combine brick, concrete and glass, drawing inspiration from the original red-brick hospital buildings and the ‘white working buildings’ of the area north of Oxford street. Kingspan Kooltherm K15 Rainscreen Board was used to insulated the rainscreen elements of the façade whilst Kingspan Kooltherm K12 Framing Board was installed between timber battens on masonry sections of the external walls.
With thermal conductivities as low as 0.020 W/m.K, the Kingspan Kooltherm products helped the project to achieve excellent levels of thermal performance. They also helped to contribute towards the award of credits within the BREEAM assessments for the office sections of the development. Kingspan Kooltherm K12 Framing Board and K15 Rainscreen Board, manufactured at Kingspan Insulation’s site in Pembridge, are both certified ‘Excellent’ under BES 6001 and hold a highest possible BRE Green Guide rating of A+.
The existing façades along Nassau Street and No. 10 Mortimer Street have been carefully restored and a new mansard roof has been constructed for the buildings which sit behind them. Kingspan Kooltherm K7 Pitched Roof Board was installed as part of the new roof constructions, allowing them to achieve a U-value 0.13 W/m.2K with a minimal construction depth.