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ROCKWOOL® launches recladding guide

Stone wool insulation manufacturer, ROCKWOOL®, has added to its suite of industry support resources with the launch of the Recladding with ROCKWOOL guide for specifiers.

Following the ban on combustible materials in relevant new buildings over 18 metres (ADB updated for England June 2022), many building owners are recladding existing buildings with non-combustible materials that comply with the updated regulations.

In addition to addressing combustibility regulations, recladding brings many benefits to existing buildings, including improved thermal and acoustic performance, enhanced aesthetic qualities and the replacement of flat roof systems that have reached the end of their effective operation.

 

 

 

The Recladding with ROCKWOOL guide includes ROCKWOOL stone wool products, such as NyRock® Rainscreen 032 and NyRock® Frame Slab 032, which are purpose-designed for ventilated rainscreen cladding. They are also independently classified as either A1, or A2-s1, d0 and therefore non-combustible, meaning that they are suitable for use on buildings that are affected by the ban on combustible materials.

With fire resistance designed into ROCKWOOL roof board products, details of ROCKWOOL flat roof solutions – such as HARDROCK® Multi-Fix – are also included within the guide.

ROCKWOOL has a dedicated recladding team in place, reinforcing the company’s commitment to supporting the industry with the remedial action needed to address fire safety and other issues for the thousands of buildings in the UK which fall short of required standards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heading up this team is Hedley Thompson, Recladding and Façades Sector Manager at ROCKWOOL. Commenting on the new guide, he says:

“The recladding sector faces considerable challenges to ensure that existing buildings meet the regulatory standards required today. This new guide offers valuable support for specifiers, providing an overview of the ROCKWOOL ventilated rainscreen and flat roof ranges in one place, along with all of the relevant technical information and fire standards data.”

 

The guide is the latest recladding resource to be developed by ROCKWOOL, adding to its existing suite of specification materials which also includes its Retrofitting Rainscreen Insulation and Cladding CPD (Continuing Professional Development) which launched earlier this year. The module explains the benefits of retrofitting insulation and clarifies why retrofitting can be better than demolishing and rebuilding from new.

To access the Recladding with ROCKWOOL guide, CLICK HERE

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SFS listens to rainscreen customers and responds with 3 day lead times on coloured AP rivets

Responding to market feedback, SFS has invested in a new assembly facility in Leeds to provide high quality, colour-matched AP rivets for rainscreen cladding. The full range of AP rivets are now available in 3 days’ lead time in more than 100 standard colours.

Andy Stolworthy, Director of Product and Market Development for SFS comments “The company’s new investment brings key manufacturing processes to Yorkshire that were previously handled in France. The move has been driven by UK customer feedback for shorter lead times on high quality coloured rivets, and illustrates how SFS is equipped to listen to the challenges that its customers face and respond in the most effective way.”

The result for customers is the convenience of being able to source AP rivets in a wide range of RAL colours in considerably reduced lead times. AP rivets are now available in 100+ standard colours that can be powder coated ready for despatch in just three days on orders placed before 12.00 noon, up to a maximum of 5,000 pieces. Additional volumes and bespoke colours can be easily accommodated too, with lead times depending on the specific requirements.

SFS’s AP rivet leads the market for securing rainscreen support systems in face-fixed rainscreen applications. The grade 5 aluminium body delivers ease of installation, durability and long term assurance. Three flange sizes – 11mm, 14mm and 16mm – and a range of rivet lengths provide a solution for securing the most widely specified rainscreen panels to a support frame. SFS’s powder coating processes ensure there is no paint on the mandrel.

Darren Gunga, Head of Operations at SFS says “We’re always listening to our customers and continuously looking at what we can do to make their lives easier and businesses more successful. Our new UK production facility for AP rivets is the tangible result of our approach, adding to our existing world-class painting technology for fastener systems.

“The new plant transforms the supply chain for specifiers and installers working on rainscreen projects. It is the first time that the market has been able to access the highest quality rainscreen fixings, complete with a premium colour finish, in such short lead times. Crucially, it means customers no longer need to compromise to suit tight build schedules.

“Our closeness to the market means we are in touch with the practical demands that customers face, which is why we’ve invested significant resources in Leeds to streamline the process from ordering to delivery on-site.”

Find out more about the range of SFS AP rivets for rainscreen at www.sfsintec.co.uk.
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SFS reports strong sales growth as it unveils first complete envelope package

(Photo caption: the recently completed new Alchemist bar and restaurant at Salford Quays, which features a striking golden building envelope installed by Longworth, created using fastening systems by SFS. Courtesy of Artez / James Andrews.)

Global group sales growth of 13.7% in 2017 for fastening systems manufacturer SFS, reflects the growing customer demand here in the UK for high performance fixing solutions for the building envelope, which the company is set to support further with its unveiling of the industry’s first complete package for rainscreen systems.

In addition to an expanded range of SFS-branded products and services being readied for launch in 2018, the company now offers Nvelope rainscreen support systems after the manufacturer joined the SFS family in 2016. This enables SFS to provide high performance Nvelope bracket and rail systems for rainscreen cladding and SFS-branded fasteners as one package, offering important warranty benefits and a simplified supply chain.

An extension to this package is also available to customers seeking to incorporate a working at height safety system as part of their envelope project. This is provided by SFS with its industry-leading Soter Safety Systems solutions, giving specifiers and contractors the assurance that key elements of the building envelope’s construction and installation are provided by a market-leader renowned for its technical excellence.

Across the globe, SFS provides fastening solutions in a diverse range of industries, including medical equipment, automotive, electronics and industrial. In the UK, SFS is synonymous with high performance fasteners for roofing and cladding, as well as other structural applications, and its range of precision-engineered door hinges. Over the last 12 months, its organic sales have grown strongly by 7.4%, to achieve overall sales of around £1.24bn (CHF 1.633bn Swiss Francs).

David Wigglesworth, UK Managing Director of SFS, said: “The SFS brand stands for quality and engineering excellence, so our customers can be confident that every solution we provide meets the highest expectations. Nvelope and Soter Safety System are, therefore, perfect additions to the SFS family as architects seek greater certainty on building envelope quality and performance, and installers look to solutions that help them work quicker, more profitably and safer.

“With our new family of systems, SFS is unique in the market in providing a complete solution that is underpinned by quality and reliability. Customers of SFS fasteners have long benefited from the extended life of our superior A4 stainless steel fasteners, often with powder coated colour finishes for outstanding visual appeal, and our innovative flat roofing systems, but they can now access so much more for projects incorporating rainscreen and where a reliable safety system is required.”

Superior quality products backed by expert technical support has been at the core of SFS’s success in serving the building envelope market for more than 30 years with a wide range of solutions for pitched roof, façade and flat roof construction. The company is part of the SFS Group which has annual sales in excess of £1.1bn and a history dating back to the 1950s serving customers in the construction, automotive, electronics, industrial and medical products markets.

Find out more about SFS at www.sfsintec.co.uk.
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ROCKWOOL Rainscreen Duo Slab becomes BBA Approved

ROCKWOOL is delighted to announce that its RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® has become the first stone wool product to receive approval by the British Board of Agrément (BBA) for use in Ventilated rainscreen systems.

BBA certification is recognised throughout the construction industry and is a sought after accreditation for manufacturers. It is also incredibly important to specifiers, as it is a mark of quality, safety and reliability that provides reassurance of the product.

In order to achieve the BBA Agrément Certificate, products have to pass a series of comprehensive assessments, including laboratory tests, on-site evaluations, quality management checks and inspections of production. The RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® was tested for factors such as thermal performance, condensation risk, behaviour in relation to fire, and durability in order to meet UK British Regulations. The ROCKWOOL product successfully met all these requirements and achieved certification status for use as a Hybrid frame system and Rainscreen system.

As the only stone wool product certified by the BBA for use in Ventilated rainscreen systems, this approval helps support and endorse ROCKWOOL’s key product messages:

  • Peace of mind and quality of life
  • Innovative products for modern life
  • Lasting, durable and resilient
  • Energy efficiency
  • Fire resilience
  • Health safety and wellbeing
  • Natural solutions and sustainability

“It is incredibly important to us to put our products through the BBA process, as the certification provides architects with peace of mind when specifying our products” comments Paul Barrett, Product Manager at ROCKWOOL. “It also reinforces the premise that we produce sustainable products that are innovative, durable and long lasting.”

Manufactured from volcanic rock, RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® is a dual density insulation board that comprises of a robust outer surface and a resilient inner face. By compressing the primary fleece onto the top 15mm of the insulation, the product can be used, unprotected, in severe external weather, including strong wind and rain as experienced at high altitudes. As with all ROCKWOOL products, it’s fire resilient and complies with Approved Document B, achieving the highest Euroclass classification: A1. RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® also complies with BR135: “Fire Performance of External Insulation for Walls of Multi-Storey Buildings”.

For more information about RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB®, please visit www.rockwool.com.
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