Library extension in Scotland sees Kingspan embrace the past

A £12.4 million extension to a library in Scotland is designed and built to comply with Scottish Building Regulations, with assistance from Kingspan Insulation products.

The 19th century Dunfermline Carnegie Library is helping raise the town’s cultural profile; it features Kooltherm K15 Rainscreen Board and Kingspan Kooltherm K10 Soffit Board.

The Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries project has created a new local history Reading Room, Museum and Children’s Library, to engage, entertain and excite a bigger number of visitors at Dunfermline’s Heritage Quarter.

In addition, it is also the town’s first purpose-built art gallery space, with the new mezzanine café ensuring visitors can enjoy a coffee whilst savouring the stunning views of the landscaped gardens and Dunfermline Abbey.

Ashlar sandstone, oak and Corten steel cladding have been installed on the new extension of the library building as part of a rainscreen cladding system.

500 square metres of Kingspan Kooltherm K15 Rainscreen Board was fitted within the steel frame cladding system of the regenerated external façade in a 70 mm thickness.

The angular features of the building also have overhanging structural ceilings, which required the installation of 200 square metres of Kingspan Kooltherm K10 Soffit Board insulation, in a 75 mm thickness.

Martin Lambie, Architect from Richard Murphy Architects Ltd, talked about the thought processes for the project.

“We wanted to create a space that embraced both the rich history of the building and the expectations of visitors both now and in the future,” he said.

“The façade successfully delivered the visual appeal, but we also needed to ensure the space was comfortable too. We chose Kingspan Kooltherm for this project as we knew it would help us to deliver the target U-values.”

Kingspan Insulation products can allow target U-values to be achieved with minimal construction thickness. 

Kingspan Kooltherm K15 Rainscreen Board and Kingspan Kooltherm K10 Soffit Board contain a fibre-free core, manufactured with a blowing agent which has zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and low Global Warming Potential (GWP).

The product has been assigned a highest possible BREEAM Green Guide summary of A+ and is certified ‘Excellent’ under the demanding BES 6001: Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products standard.

Following the project’s completion, Kingspan has launched its Kooltherm K100 range, offering thermal conductivities as low as 0.018 W/m.K across all thicknesses.

The expanding range now includes Kingspan Kooltherm K110 Soffit Board, aiding buildings to achieve outstanding levels of thermal performance, with a minimum construction thickness.