34 STRUCTURES Beco WALLFORM From Grand Designs to Commercial Credibility
The growing use of Beco Wallform on larger commercial projects and the wider adoption of ICF technologies within the industry as a whole have already prompted ready mixed concrete producers to develop specific designs, reducing cement content and increasing the use of recycled waste materials into the concrete mix.
THE INITIAL CONCEPT OF USING A SERIES OF INTERLOCKING HOLLOW EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE BLOCKS TO ACT AS INTEGRAL INSULATION AND SHUTTERING FOR CONCRETE STRUCTURES WAS ORIGINATED AND DEVELOPED IN GERMANY MORE THAN 40 YEARS AGO.
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lmost immediately, the combined advantages of rapid construction, high insulation characteristics and design
flexibility were seized upon across Europe and its use in both domestic and commercial construction grew, with a number of companies developing variations on the insulating concrete formwork (ICF) principle.
The sheer scope and flexibility of the Beco Wallform system was one of the key factors that led to the product being featured on Channel 4 TV’s Grand Designs programme, where it has been used on two separate projects to create unique dwellings which have high aesthetic appeal and outstanding energy performance.
Such media exposure generated not only a greater level of interest from architects for individual homes and housing associations, but also from local and education authorities, as well as commercial enterprise and the leisure industry. Naturally, a further factor in the growth of interest in ICF construction has been the adoption of sustainable and ‘green’ building philosophies across the construction industry, driven by escalating energy costs and legislation, such as the ‘Code for Sustainable Homes’.
The multi-award winning Sharrow School project in Sheffield is a key example of how all of these factors combined, resulting in Beco Wallform’s ICF system being selected by the Sheffield Council’s architects to provide a core part of the new building’s structure.
In addition to the usual requirements of space, light and flexible teaching areas, the architects incorporated as much sustainable technology as possible within the budget available, reducing energy costs and minimising the school’s impact on the environment. Design features include a planted roof, a highly effective rainwater harvesting system and the Beco system, which was sunk into the ground on three sides to provide insulation and a main supporting structure for the building’s ring beam.
As the lower ground level housed the nursery area, the polystyrene insulating layer meant that the walls, even through they are plastered, didn’t feel cold to the touch as well providing highly effective insulation. Constructed by Kier, and designed by Sheffield Council architects under Project Architect, Cath Basilio, it was calculated construction time was reduced by one-third as a direct result of using Beco Wallform and could have been even shorter if Beco’s steel fibre reinforced concrete mix was used rather than reinforcing bars.
Sustainable technologies were also a key consideration in one of the most recent and largest commercial leisure sector projects recently undertaken using Beco Wallform. The £2.4 million club house at the new Castle Stuart golf links in Inverness, Scotland, not only uses self cleaning solar reflective glass, ground source heat pumps and solar shading, but is also constructed using Beco Wallform to improve energy conservation and reduce costs.
Designed by G1 Architects, the clubhouse’s ‘art-deco’ inspired design incorporates sweeping curves to provide panoramic views over the course and the Moray Firth. As the large radius curve accounted for almost half of the bulding’s design, contractors Morrison Construction found that the Beco Wallform system enabled them to build the wall structure in around half the time of traditional methods.
Beco’s Managing Director, Robin Miller, explained: “Morrison Construction’s experiences are fairly typical of the response we get from the industry, where they are often unfamiliar with the technology, but quickly become profficient and positive advocates of the Beco Wallform system as it reduces construction times and project costs.”
He added: “Also, the greater awareness of energy conservation, coupled with the performance and design flexibility of our system, means that we’re seeing a much broader adoption of the Beco and ICF technologies, which is good news for us, the construction industry, the client and the general environment.”
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