From Lowering Embodied Carbon to Super-Slim Solutions: What Is the Future of Insulation?
Insulation plays an essential role in today’s buildings—whether it is to provide thermal efficiency to reduce energy demand and cut carbon emissions, or to reduce noise transmission to provide acoustic comfort. Every building has different requirements for the type of insulation needed in floors, roofs, ceilings and walls, and to meet these varying demands Kingspan has developed a range of holistic insulation solutions fit for the future of the built environment.
From lower embodied carbon products to bio-based materials, reducing environmental impact is an area of increasing importance. Meanwhile, the pressing need to upgrade the thermal efficiency of existing buildings often demands insulation technologies that can work with existing structures without requiring excessive thickness. For cladding systems, reaction to fire can be every bit as important as thermal conductivity, and for acoustic panels that form part of the internal décor, aesthetics is as crucial as sound absorption.
This article explores just some of the innovative solutions that a full spectrum insulation manufacturer like Kingspan can offer to meet the needs of these very different facets of the market.
Why Use Lower Embodied Carbon Solutions?
The building sector accounts for 39% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—28% of that is from building operations, while the remaining 11% is specifically from building materials and construction. The more thermally efficient our buildings get, the greater the impact of embodied carbon, so this is an area that must be addressed.
According to the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), embodied carbon is defined as “the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated to produce a built asset,” considering the entire lifecycle of a product, building, or infrastructure. This concept provides a holistic view of the environmental impact through all life cycle stages, from the extraction and processing of raw materials, through manufacturing, transportation, construction, use, maintenance, and ultimately, disposal or recycling.
Energy use associated with building operations can be reduced over time with measures such as energy efficiency retrofits, shifts towards renewable energy procurement, and on-site renewable energy installations. However, upfront carbon from building materials is unchangeable once a building is constructed. This is why Kingspan has invested heavily in ways to reduce the embodied carbon of key products, whilst maintaining or improving their performance.
QuadCore LEC: Reducing the Embodied Carbon of Insulated Panels
QuadCore LEC (Lower Embodied Carbon) insulated panels for walls, roofs and coldstore applications have been developed specifically to help reduce the carbon footprint of the buildings they are used on. For example, using comparative Lifecycle Assessment Data (LCA) data to the EN15804-A2 standard, this breakthrough in insulated panel technology demonstrates a 21% reduction in embodied carbon in modules A1-A3 (product stage) for the QuadCore AWP LEC range in a 100mm thickness, compared to the standard QuadCore AWP product. When the Lifecycle Assessment is expanded to include modules A-C (product stage, construction process stage, use stage and end of life stage), the overall reduction is 15%, allowing specifiers and end users to reduce the embodied carbon of their final project.
QuadCore is already one of the highest-performing insulation technologies in terms of thermal efficiency (underpinned by a 25-year thermal warranty) which could enable higher energy and carbon savings through the operational life of the building. Earlier this year, Kingspan also launched a range of lower embodied carbon steel products, containing 75% recycled content, which demonstrates up to a 63% embodied carbon reduction in modules A-C compared to existing equivalent Kingspan products.
Lizzie Young, Kingspan Insulated Panels Divisional Head of Sustainability, highlights research from LETI, which indicates that around 16% of the embodied carbon of a building is in its facade. Using QuadCore LEC roof and wall panels, together with LEC steel for the structural steelwork, can enable a substantial overall carbon reduction at a total building level, as well as support ongoing operational carbon efficiencies.
Bio-Based Insulation: Exploring Materials for Reduced Carbon Solutions
To meet the growing interest in bio-based insulation materials as a way to reduce the carbon footprint of projects, Kingspan has introduced HemKor to its product portfolio. These hemp-based products have a bio-based content of ≥ 80%; with HemKor Padding having a declared bio-based content of 100%. Hemp is a circulation crop with rapid growth, making it a good crop for storing CO₂, absorbing and storing between 9 and 13 tons of CO₂ per harvested hectare through photosynthesis.
The HemKor Jute Blend range contains Jute, which is another bio-based material, and also includes recycled PET as a binder together with soda to ensure the desired reaction to fire. All the products are third-party verified according to NEN certification scheme NCS 16785:2016 for bio-based content.
Suitable for timber and steel frame walls, pitched roofs and partition walls, HemKor is a flexible product range that lends itself well to being fitted around penetrations and objects such as electricity conduits and pipes.
Lower Embodied Carbon Acoustic Solutions in Architectural Projects
It is not just thermal insulation that has been a focus for reducing embodied carbon. Troldtekt acoustic panels are manufactured from cement-bonded wood wool. The cement provides strength, durability and improves the reaction to fire properties, but also accounts for a significant portion of the carbon footprint of the product. The new version, based on FUTURECEM cement, provides reductions in embodied carbon of 26% to 38% over the product life cycle, compared to Troldekt, which is based on grey or white cement, respectively. This reduction is achieved by using calcined clay and limestone filler to replace the carbon-intensive burnt clinker element of standard cement.
Troldekt solutions based on FUTURECEM are available for a wide range of applications, in a painted or unpainted finish, providing an aesthetically pleasing finish that provides sound absorption with a greatly reduced carbon footprint. This can be seen in the new offices of Mandrup Arkitekt | Ingenioyr in Viborg, Denmark. The project introduces Troldtekt curves in natural grey (FUTURECEM), two large, framed sections of Troldtekt curves (3.0 x 4.8m and 3.6 x 3.6m) for the high-ceilinged meeting room, and Troldtekt line design in painted grey for ceiling and wall panels.
These products are not just used for commercial spaces, they can also provide a stylish acoustic solution for private housing, such as this mid-1960s villa refurbishment. The original wooden ceilings were replaced with Troldtekt v-line in black-painted FUTURECEM, which reflects the integration of the building with its natural surroundings, incorporating a sense of nature indoors while addressing acoustic concerns.
Problem-Solving Insulation Solutions for Challenging Spaces
Carbon emissions from heating and cooling are still a hugely important area that needs addressing as we transition towards renewable energy sources, and one of the simplest ways to do that is by ensuring that the building envelope is as thermally efficient as possible. Building in high-density urban areas where space is at a premium, or when addressing the energy efficiency of existing building stock can prove challenging. Kingspan offers two very different insulation solutions to tackle these issues.
Dual Performance for Rainscreen Facades
AlphaCore Pad represents a new dimension in insulation. This rigid insulation board has a hydrophobic microporous silica-based core sewn into glass fiber fabric. The product offers a thermal conductivity as low as 0.020 W/m.K, together with a Euroclass rating of A2-s1,d0, to provide a slim and effective solution for rainscreen facades and structural ceilings (soffits). This unique combination of performance characteristics makes it suitable for various types, heights, constructions, and locations of buildings, for both new build and refurbishment.
Encapsulated Vacuum Insulation Panel
Vacuum Insulated Panels (VIPs) provide an insulating performance that is significantly higher than other commonly used insulation materials. OPTIM-R E is a next-generation encapsulated VIP that has been developed specifically for inverted roof systems, and is suitable for use under green roofs, which also have environmental benefits.
OPTIM-R E panels are rigid vacuum insulation panels with a microporous core that is evacuated, encased and sealed in a thin, gas-tight envelope, then encapsulated in a coating for increased robustness and easier handling on-site. They can achieve a thermal conductivity as low as 0.008 W/mK, compared to 0.022 W/mK for the next highest performing commonly used flat roof insulation. The lower the thermal conductivity, the better the insulating properties of the product. The vacuum insulation panels are accompanied by rigid extruded polystyrene insulation infill panels, which can be cut to fit around complex areas such as roof lights or ventilator curbs.
For more information on innovative insulation solutions and their applications, visit the product catalog.
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