Product category:
Walls
News Release from: Sto | Subject: StoTherm Classic
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 18 February 2005
StoTherm Classic external wall
insulation system
The StoTherm Classic external wall insulation system, from Sto, meets demanding role on façade at Cardiff Bay development.
Coastal conditions of Cardiff pose a challenging test Just over 100 years ago, South Wales was producing massive quantities of steel, tinplate and particularly coal, for the world's burgeoning industrial revolution
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 18 Aug 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Cardiff docks had never been busier, but the rule of 'King Coal' couldn't last and the docklands prosperity declined, achieved brief notoriety as "Tiger Bay" for a while and then was all but abandoned.
However, the city of Cardiff continued to thrive as the business and commercial centre of Wales and, in 1987, the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation was created to regenerate the old docks.
Their objectives were to conserve the best of the old buildings and, at the same time, encourage the development of new offices, suitable leisure facilities and high quality housing.
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PWP Architects specified the StoTherm Classic system for its energy efficient thermal performance and revolutionary high elasticity and crack resistance.
They are certainly achieving those early objectives, as can be demonstrated by one of the highest specification developments in the area, which can be found right on the waterfront, at Sovereign Quay.
The development is for 60 residential units and a superb topfloor penthouse suite, all of which benefit from sweeping views across Cardiff Bay.
The ground level space is given over for commercial opportunities and allows interaction with the existing dockside walk, while the mass of the building steps down from seven storeys at its highest, to three storeys at its lowest.
The development is capped with five 'winged roof' pavillions.
As these are aesthetically pleasing, whilst being situated right on the waterfront, the properties will need to withstand some harsh treatment from the elements in the years to come.
Treatment that is going to be particularly demanding on the façade and this made the StoTherm Classic external wall insulation system, from Sto , the natural protective choice for London based architects Goddard Manton.
The partnership has been active in and influenced by London's Docklands since the early 1970's, but their portfolio includes a wide range of international as well as national projects.
The Goddard Manton philosophy is always to address the issues of conservation with serious historical research, but equally, be prepared to adopt a clear modern style where appropriate.
Perhaps to underline the point, Goddard Manton won 'Best Housing Project' for the Barratt Homes Sovereign Quay scheme, at the National Homebuilder Design Awards 2001.
The project architect, David Evans adds his own comments: "We have used StoTherm Classic on a number of occasions and find it to be an extremely reliable system".
" From time - to - time we do of course investigate competitive products, but in our experience nothing is as good as the Sto system".
" It always meets our requirements and with the Sovereign Quay project involving a curved façade, coastal location and high winds, we certainly needed to know it would do what we asked of it".
Defining technical standards since the 1960's Sto was originally founded in Germany over 150 years ago and is now a major multi-national organisation dedicated to the development of products and systems that protect, maintain and enhance the value of buildings and extend their functional and aesthetic durability.
StoTherm Classic has been defining technical standards for nearly 40 years.
It is a completely organic, highly durable, external wall insulation system (EWIS) with unrivalled performance in extreme climates.
Since its introduction in the early 1960's, over 50 million square metres of total façade area have been installed around the world.
The system permits virtually unlimited design freedom being available, with a vast colour choice of 800 through-coloured, crack- resistant renders, or alternatively with a brick slip, tiled, or stone style finish.
Very low U-values can be achieved too and with the insulation being applied to the exterior, no internal cavity is required, allowing internal space to be used more efficiently.
The System Components.
At the heart of the StoTherm Classic system is a BBA certified, CFC and HCFC free, rigid expanded polystyrene board (EPS), which can be dowelled, bonded, or rail - mounted.
The Sovereign Quay substrate is a combination of lightweight metal stud and masonry, so both adhesive and mechanical fixings were used.
StoTherm Classic System components The system had to be flexible enough to match the curved contour of the façade, allow grooves to be rasped into it as a design feature and at the same time be strong enough to provide a rock solid base for the whole external wall insulation system.
The system owes its outstanding performance to a high performance protective finish.
The finish consists of a 3mm coat of StoElasto, a cement-free, highly flexible, water-based and fibre-reinforced plaster.
During application, the specially designed and toughened, Sto Glass Fibre Mesh, was embedded into the StoElasto creating an extremely crack resistant base, to which Stolit, an acrylic, decorative finishing render was sprayed, to complete the StoTherm Classic external wall insulation system.
Stolit is through-coloured with a high degree of colourfastness and is available in 800 standard colours from the StoColor System.
The use of high-grade materials throughout ensures that the StoTherm Classic system remains vapour permeable whilst providing excellent protection against the possibility of water ingress.
Due to the excellent flexibility of the StoElasto and Stolit, the system offers 15 times greater crack resistance than that of conventional modified cementitious renders.
Phil Nelson, Bid Team Manager of The Joyner Group, who were responsible for applying the EWI and the finished facade observes: "Sovereign Quay, as a building, is prestigious and looks stunning".
" This has been achieved by a high level of skill in application, coupled with first class materials".
" The Joyner Group is thrilled to be associated with this project".
Although Stolit can be tinted, to produce up to 800 colour variants, it has a natural brilliant white finish of its own.
And for a lightweight, contemporary structure designed to provide maximum visual connection with the water and be at one with its historical maritime surroundings, it seems the perfect choice for a façade that is to remain a prominent feature of Cardiff Bay for many years to come.
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