The project
Hallwell by Hugh McGreevy & Sons Ltd is a development of 100 new homes being constructed as part of a larger residential area in Adamstown, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Included in the scheme are duplex homes and apartments in three- and four-storey blocks due to be completed in mid-2023.
The challenge
Hugh McGreevy takes pride in delivering energy efficient homes, constructing to Building Energy Rating (BER) A rating, and to a quality that stands the test of time.
The homes, designed by Hugh McGreevy’s in-house team, were planned with a masonry cavity wall construction and a preference for stone wool insulation due to its non-combustible properties.
The challenge was to meet the required U-value target of 0.18 W/m2K using a partial fill solution – all within a maximum cavity space of 200mm.
The solution
Hugh McGreevy’s in-house team approached ROCKWOOL, with an interest in learning more about NyRock® technology and how this could benefit housebuilders in Ireland.
ROCKWOOL was invited to present the benefits of NyRock technology, and how the latest product, NyRock Cavity Slab 032 could help deliver the required fire and thermal performance.
Working with the developer, ROCKWOOL conducted all U-value calculations for the project. These demonstrated that NyRock Cavity Slab 032 would achieve the target U-value of 0.18 W/m2K within the 200mm cavity space. This led to the specification of 14,000 square metres of 160mm NyRock Cavity Slab 032 in a partial fill application. To satisfy fire regulations in cavity applications, 9,000 metres of ROCKWOOL TCB Cavity Barrier was also specified.
In addition to its combined thermal and fire performance, the high density semi rigid composition of NyRock Cavity Slab 032, is proven to perform for the lifetime of the building,[1] supporting Hugh McGreevy & Sons’ focus on quality and longevity.
“ROCKWOOL was our first choice for non-combustible insulation due to their reputation in the market and our experience with their stone wool products on previous projects,” said Hugh McGreevy, Director of the company. “NyRock Cavity Slab 032 has enabled us to achieve the same U-values using less material, which was an additional bonus.”
The result
“Our installers found NyRock Cavity Slab 032 very easy to install,” continues McGreevy. “The insulation provided no problem for the bricklayers, even in adverse weather conditions with some heavy rain. The window fitters found it equally easy to work with when they had to cut to fit it around windows.
“ROCKWOOL NyRock Cavity Slab 032 has BBA certification, is easy to source, and has an experienced technical team able to answer any questions very quickly. This ultimately made it easy for us to adopt NyRock for this development.”
With ROCKWOOL NyRock Cavity Slab 032, the new homes in the Hallwell development will meet the required U-value of 0.18 W/m2K. Alongside its improved thermal efficiency, NyRock Cavity Slab 032 still delivers all the additional benefits of stone wool insulation including the ability to be recycled indefinitely, and acoustic and fire performance.
[1] BBA Certification 22/6252: stated as sufficiently stable to remain effective as insulation for the life of the building.
