Insulation
Complete thermal insulation with Marmox Thermoblock
Marmox (UK) Ltd is part of the international CMB group which manufactures chemicals, building materials and insulation products generating a total annual turnover of £260 million. In the UK we supply a selection of these products which have been fine tuned to suit the UK market. Focussing on the tiling industry we offer tile backer boards and wetroom systems and for the insulation sector of the construction industry we have the increasingly popular Marmox Thermoblock used to reduce thermal bridging at the wall-to-floor junction.
WHY THERMAL BRIDGES NEED ADDRESSING
Building Regulations now say: “The building fabric should be continuous over the whole building envelope and constructed so that there are no reasonably avoidable thermal bridges in the insulation layers caused by gaps in the elements.” There are several thermal bridges in a building but the worst one is at the wall-to-floor junction, this typically accounts for between half to two thirds of all the thermal bridge heat loss in a house.
One way to reduce this, possibly even to completely eliminate it is to incorporate a course of Marmox Thermoblock, a load-bearing insulation block at the base of the wall. This block is not what is commonly referred to as a thermal block, which are aerated concrete blocks. This is an insulation product with similar thermal properties as polystyrene but the strength of concrete enabling it to be used under a supporting wall. By connecting the wall insulation with the floor insulation, it removed the breaks in the insulation envelope Part L asks for.
Marmox Thermoblock is an established solution to the problem of Thermal Bridging, with a proven track record in mainland Northern Europe spanning nearly years and, as a result of planned changes to UK and Irish building regulations, its use is becoming more common.
Marmox Thermoblock consists of a core of fire resistant, waterproof XPS insulation material which ensures two rows of low conductive epoxy concrete pillars which provide the block’s strength. The top and bottom surfaces of the block are coated with a layer of fibre reinforced polymer concrete incorporating Carbon Nanotubes which provides a ‘mortar ready’ surface allowing it to be laid just like any other masonry unit. Marmox Thermoblock either replaces the first course of masonry blocks in the interior (or exterior) wall or when using timber frame construction, it sits on the concrete slab directly underneath the timber frame’s sole plate.
LOAD BEARING
It used to be impossible to insulate under the supporting wall because the insulation would have been crushed. Marmox Thermoblock however is strong, withstanding up to 9N/mm2
, so this is exactly where it is placed to
ensure low Y and Ψ values are achieved - it is an insulation layer with the strength of a load carrying block.
CERTIFIED
One of the worst thermal bridges is the wall-floor junction. This thermal imaging of an otherwise well-insulated house shows the heat loss where the wall meets the floor.
Marmox Thermoblock is part of the BRE Certified Thermal Product Scheme, which means that when used in several common junction details, the heat loss at the thermal bridge, of ‘psi value’, has already been worked out and approved by BRE, so can be used directly in the SAP calculation. The product is also BBA certified which offers third part assurance that the product’s performance will meet the necessary European Standards and UK building regulations.
Marmox Thermoblock is therefore the ideal building component for any modern development with unrivalled environmental credentials, it should be at the top of any architect’s specification list.
Diagram showing thermal bridging without Marmox Thermoblock (left) and heat retention with Thermoblock (right).
Exploded model of Marmox Thermoblock, showing insulating and structural components.
MARMOX UK LTD
TEL: 01634 835290 23
WWW.MARMOX.CO.UK
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