Protect Airtightness Membrane used in leading-edge Passivhaus education building

Expected to be the first combined Passivhaus Premium and BREEAM Outstanding building in the UK, South West College’s new Erne Campus is leading the way from an environmental perspective and its construction includes a range of low energy measures that will set the standard for energy efficiency in a public building.  The new 8200m² campus is being built to replace the existing building in Enniskillen which was built in the late 1960s and achieved a D energy rating.

Protect BarriAir was used on the warm side of the construction to help achieve a high level of airtightness and assist with energy efficiency, with the walls expected to achieve a low U-value of 0.15W/m²K. The airtightness target for the project is also anticipated to be less than the stringent Passivhaus limit, with an n50 value of 0.3 ACH @ 50Pascals compared to the Passivhaus target of 0.6 ACH @ 50Pascals.

Hamilton Architects Associate, Project Design Architect Peter Carr, commented, “Being the first combined Passivhaus Premium and BREEAM Outstanding education facility in the UK, it was a pre-requisite that the specified materials for each building element met the design strategy and contributed to the overall energy efficiency of the structure.  Protect BarriAir fitted the bill as the chosen airtightness system and helped us to fall well within the Passivhaus limits for testing.”

Erne Campus will be the second Passivhaus project built for South West College, the first being the CREST Pavilion in Enniskillen built in 2015, where Protect BarriAir was also used to achieve airtightness.  The campus is expected to be open by August 2020 and will accommodate 800 full-time students and 120 staff.

Protect’s BarriAir product forms part of a comprehensive range of wall, ceiling and floor construction membranes alongside roofing underlays and accessories which are ideal for both traditional and offsite construction, with a portfolio to help ensure the whole building envelope and internal structure can be controlled in terms of moisture management, condensation control and thermal resistance.

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For details of how Protect products can be incorporated into both residential and commercial builds, please visit www.protectmembranes.com, email info@protectmembranes.com or call 0161 905 5700, quoting ‘South West College.’