Portadown
Co Armagh
The build involved the construction of a 2000 sq. ft. passive haus standard home, making the most of the site orientation, whilst also utilising high quality construction materials and practices, to ensure excellent thermal, airtightness & moisture control results.
The use of the ISOVER Vario system, including Vario Bond, the newest addition to the system, has meant that work around ensuring high airtightness & moisture control results has been as swift as possible. Vario Bond has been used to seal windows, doors and ceiling to wall junctions, with the time saving coming from the fact that Vario Bond can be directly plastered over, with no need for a mesh overlay. Other products from the Vario system being used in the build are Vario KM Duplex Airtight Membrane and Vario Multitape SL.In addition to the use of the Vario system, ISOVER Metac High Performance Mineral Wool was used in the pitched roof of the building to ensure thermal performance and comfort within the building.
The overarching strategy for the build was to ensure that all penetrations over the shell of the building were minimised and addressed. Where there was a penetration of the airtight membrane, for example, the penetration was sealed using ISOVER’s Vario KB1, Multitape or Double Fit Mastic. In addition to this, signage was displayed prominently throughout the site to ensure all tears in the membrane or building shell were reported as soon as they were found, so that they too could be addressed. The contractor worked on establishing open communications with his team, as well as training them so they were able to spot issues that could have the potential to threaten the airtightness and thermal performance of the building.
The biggest challenge encountered by the contractor was overcoming hurdles concerning this being his first passive haus standard build. Both the contractor and his team had to be constantly aware of the requirements, as well as constantly vigilant against any practices that may compromise the airtightness or thermal performance of the finished structure.
The need to attain the passive standard was addressed by the contactor by contacting ISOVER’s technical team for information, as well as following up the contact by attending the airtightness course in Kingscourt, Co. Cavan. Topics such as product suitability, product application and details on how to work to a high spec were all covered at the course, with specific concerns and questions from the contractors present discussed as well.
The use of the ISOVER Vario system, including Vario Bond, the newest addition to the system, has meant that work around ensuring high airtightness & moisture control results has been as swift as possible. Vario Bond has been used to seal windows, doors and ceiling to wall junctions, with the time saving coming from the fact that Vario Bond can be directly plastered over, with no need for a mesh overlay. Other products from the Vario system being used in the build are Vario KM Duplex Airtight Membrane and Vario Multitape SL.In addition to the use of the Vario system, ISOVER Metac High Performance Mineral Wool was used in the pitched roof of the building to ensure thermal performance and comfort within the building.
The overarching strategy for the build was to ensure that all penetrations over the shell of the building were minimised and addressed. Where there was a penetration of the airtight membrane, for example, the penetration was sealed using ISOVER’s Vario KB1, Multitape or Double Fit Mastic. In addition to this, signage was displayed prominently throughout the site to ensure all tears in the membrane or building shell were reported as soon as they were found, so that they too could be addressed. The contractor worked on establishing open communications with his team, as well as training them so they were able to spot issues that could have the potential to threaten the airtightness and thermal performance of the building.
The biggest challenge encountered by the contractor was overcoming hurdles concerning this being his first passive haus standard build. Both the contractor and his team had to be constantly aware of the requirements, as well as constantly vigilant against any practices that may compromise the airtightness or thermal performance of the finished structure.
The need to attain the passive standard was addressed by the contactor by contacting ISOVER’s technical team for information, as well as following up the contact by attending the airtightness course in Kingscourt, Co. Cavan. Topics such as product suitability, product application and details on how to work to a high spec were all covered at the course, with specific concerns and questions from the contractors present discussed as well.
