Refurbishment of buildings

The reasons for refurbishment vary according to each project and type of construction but will invariably involve leakage or deterioration of the fabric, the need to visually upgrade older buildings; and health and safety issues with asbestos for example.

Older buildings are generally inefficient in terms of energy. Recent BSRIA research has shown the average air (energy) leakage rates to be more than double the current requirements and in the case of industrial buildings more than 3 times the permitted level.

Insulated panels by the nature of their single piece construction are ideal for re-cladding walls and roofs and have been used extensively on refurbishment projects for over 30 years. Panels offer real practical benefits in terms of speed, minimum disruption, use of existing structure (most cases), improved external and internal environment, low maintenance and increased security.

PIR cored panels have the best insulation performance for lowest thickness and weight and can transform the energy efficiency of a building to current standards with immediate payback on investment.

Refurbish with insulated panels – improve investment / letability / saleability – and payback starts immediately.

Read more: Refurbishment, regulations and project examples.

Regulations
The NEW requirements of the Building Regulations AD-L2 (England & Wales), Part F (Northern Ireland) and Technical Standards (Scotland) – Section 6 for extensions, material alterations and refurbishment of existing buildings are covered in the EPIC Guide on Energy Conservation - Amendments to the Building Regulations (2006).

Back to top. Also in this section:
Preferred cladding choice  |  Why use insulated panels - benefits  | 
Design Guides  |  Picture gallery  |  Standards and CE marking of panels   |  Insulated panels and achieving BREEAM ratings