Lethame House aims high with DuPont membranes

Lethame House is a new luxury housing project by Apex Developments in Strathaven, near Glasgow, that aims not only for very high standards of living but also of thermal efficiency.

Consisting of four spacious timber-frame, stone-clad, slate-roofed units, the development features top quality materials, including three high-performance building membranes from DuPont (DuPont AirGuard, DuPont Tyvek Reflex and DuPont Tyvek Supro).

Apex have worked to a superior specification from the outset, including the sourcing of local stone and slate, keen to create a distinctive development that will be a pleasure to inhabit for the long term.

Exceeding the thermal and airtightness standards set by regulations has been a primary goal, and in order to achieve this, the project boasts a combination of advanced systems and products.

These include geo-thermal heat sources from 200 metre boreholes, a heat recovery system, DuPont AirGuard air-leakage barrier on the internal walls, DuPont Tyvek Reflex metallised breather membrane on the external walls and DuPont Tyvek Supro breather membrane on the roof.

"We chose these membranes because they are renowned as a reliable, durable brand.

"We have worked with DuPont Tyvek before and have every faith in the material.

"We wouldn't want to gamble on something that might be substandard on a project with such high aims.

"We want to be confident in handing over the keys to a quality home that will bring enjoyment and value for many generations," says Jim Simpson, MD of Apex Developments .

This combination of air-tight, light-weight, easy to install membranes is designed not only to protect the building envelope, but also to significantly enhance the thermal performance of the building, thereby improving interior comfort and reducing the carbon footprint.

DuPont AirGuard is part of the innovative membrane and sealant solutions that comprise DuPont Climate Systems, which have received confirmation of their benefits with a Prototype.

Product Assessment from the BBA.

A metallised vapour control layer that is impermeable to both air and moisture, DuPont AirGuard also offers very low emissivity so plays a key role in preventing heat loss, reflecting up to 90% of internal radiant heat in the winter.

DuPont Tyvek Supro and DuPont Tyvek Reflex are part of the DuPont Tyvek family of membranes and are distinctive in several key ways that make them ideal for today's construction projects.

All the crucial requirements for a high-performance breather membrane are built right into the very nature of DuPont Tyvek which is unique in the market because of its high-quality single layer construction.

DuPont Tyvek is naturally vapour open but also wind and water-tight due to its composition of millions of micro fibres bonded together to make a "maze" that's impermeable to moisture but allows water vapour to pass through its natural pores.

Although it stands alone functionally as a single layer product, DuPont Tyvek is inherently versatile.

It can be used in a variety of applications and as part of multi-product systems.

It can also be metallised to create highly-reflective surfaces with proven low-emissivity such as DuPont Tyvek Reflex, which as been used on the external walls at Strathaven.

A range of high quality tapes and sealants are also available from DuPont Tyvek and together this combination of membranes and products offers developments such as Lethame House an advanced, high tech solution to achieving optimum, long term results.

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