NSBRC, Swindon Walk-In CPD - Breathable Internal Wall Insulation Systems for Single Leaf Masonry Walls

Description

Who it is for

This training is aimed at professionals from all disciplines of the building design and construction industry who are interested in the management of moisture in buildings with masonry walls and are looking for robust breathable internal wall insulation solutions.

This is an open CPD with participants joining from different organisations. We are offering virtual design reviews with individuals following the CPD to enable you to discuss the details of specific projects with our technical team.

If you have a number of colleagues wanting to attend and a more tailored approach would be preferable, we can provide a dedicated virtual CPD for your team, which can be requested by sending an email to us at info@ecologicalbuildingsystems.com

What you learn 

Modern cavity wall buildings are usually insulated within the cavity. However, in the UK and Ireland many buildings have a solid wall construction where cavity insulation isn’t a solution for thermal upgrade. In the UK this figure is as high as 28% (approximately 7 million homes), while in Ireland more than one-sixth of dwellings are traditionally built with solid walls.

External wall insulation could be an option, however it is not always preferable or permissible, either because it inevitably changes the external appearance of the building or because of regulatory restrictions (e.g. listed buildings).

Internal wall insulation is more difficult and sometimes more expensive to apply, however, the thermal comfort, potential energy savings and moisture regulation make it worthwhile. It can incorporate risks and may create more problems than benefits if not well-thought-out and designed appropriately. In this CPD we will discuss all the parameters to be considered when specifying internal wall insulation, including:

• The importance of taking into account the local climate and the primary drivers of moisture ingress when considering thermal solutions for solid masonry walls
• The impact on internal air quality and the need for ventilation
• Thermal imaging comparison and consequences of uninsulated and insulated internal walls
• The importance of vapour permeable materials to ensure building structural safety, longevity and internal/external wall aesthetics.
• Different approaches to moisture control in solid masonry walls and minimising risk factors with the help of Hygrothermal Modelling (WUFi).
• How to avoid thermal bridges at critical junctions.
• A range of internal wall insulation systems suitable for single leaf masonry walls using diffusion open solutions including: 

1.) Semi-rigid natural insulations between stud partition with internal Intelligent vapour control

2.) Directly rendered natural insulation systems

3.) Mineral based capillary active insulation systems

Examples of best practice solutions will be shared through a range of case studies. 

What you will do?

You will receive industry leading training from a highly experienced technical professional with the opportunity to ask questions.  We will show examples of different types of internal wall insulation including thermal plaster, calcium silicate board and wood fibre board and we can arrange to send samples following the training.

What happens on the day?

On arrival at the NSBRC, make your way to The Sustainability Theatre.

There will be a brief introduction, followed by the presentation, with the opportunity to ask questions throughout the presentation via the chat box. We'll answer as many questions as possible at various points during the session and afterwards via email if we run short of time.

As this is an open CPD with participants joining from different organisations, we are offering virtual design reviews with individuals, to enable you to discuss specific projects in more detail with our technical team.  This can be requested by sending an email to us at info@ecologicalbuildingsystems.com

 What you will gain from attending this CPD

• the impact of moisture on stolid stone and brick walls
• how project specifics impact on moisture management strategies
• the need to improved breathability of conventional approach
• solutions for breathable internal wall insulation

Points Gained

This CPD is a 1-hour stand-alone CPD providing 1 point towards maintaining your professional standard. 

Sustainable architecture is a rapidly developing area and is included on the list of the 10 mandatory RIBA core curriculum CPD topics. There is a requirement for a minimum of 2 hours to be spent on each of the 10 core topics.

Continued Development 

The content of this CPD is great background knowledge for sustainable, energy efficient retrofits, particularly with heritage buildings.  Our other CPDs develop these concepts for different types of insulation and building methods.