Materials
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Fermacell
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100% recycled material of superior performance.
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Composition: 80% gypsum (recycled) and 20% cellulose fibres derived from recycled papers, mixed with water. The entire production process is also fully recycling, which means that all by-products are fed back into the production cycle.
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Fire Resistance - excellent: European class A2.
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Moisture Resistance - ideal wall board for kitchens and bathrooms, it can withstand humidity levels of up to 80% Rh & can be installed before building envelope is complete.
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Acoustic Performance - a 100 mm wide stud wall with Fermacell board gives better acoustic reduction than a 275mm block wall. The Avalon™ SIPS standard stud gives nearly twice this performance.
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Load Carrying and Structural Properties - meeting BS 5234:part 2 Severe Duty Rating, so is much stronger than plaster board; high load bearing and can carry up to 30kg from a single screw and up to 50kg from a wall plug fitting which eliminates the need for noggins.
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Can eliminate plastering - easy to use and is ready for decoration without the need for plaster. For a "glass" finish use FST (Fine Surface treatment) to apply a skim coat finish using DIY skills and is dry within 45 minutes.
Thermo reflective low emissivity vapour control membrane
We use a robust highly reflective low emissivity vapour control layer which provides significant thermal, strength and performance enhancements over conventional vapour control layer materials with the added benefit of a service cavity.
It is a triple ply construction including a tough polywoven core layer with a bright high purity aluminium foil which is pressure bonded with a further polypropylene interlayer.
AHS installs facing into an unventilated airspace, effectively blocking infra red radiation and enhancing the thermal performance of the airspace, and hence the overall U-value of the construction.
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Excellent vapour resistance >589 MNs/g
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Helps to avoid condensation risk in accordance with BS 5250: 2002
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Reduces air leakage
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Low emissivity reflective surface enhances the thermal performance
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Corrosion and damage resistant reflective surface
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Fully BRE certified for all applications
Aerogel
We use it as anti-thermal bridging, it has the lowest thermal conductivity values of any solid due to its incredibly high internal surface area (up to 1500 m2/g). Made out of silicates (sand and clay), it is basically a high tech natural product with a very low environmental impact. A factoid for the technophiles: aerogels are highly energy absorbing, capable of capturing high velocity particles in space that would penetrate thick steel.
Panelvent ®
We use this as a 9.2mm sheathing board. It is developed specifically for the timber frame industry as an alternative to plywood or OSB, and is manufactured from wood chips and forest thinnings.
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Water vapour open construction 1.47MNs/g
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High racking strength 1.73Kn/m
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Thermal contribution 0.08W/mK
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Low formaldehyde <0.002mg/m3
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Breather paper not required
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Contains no bitumen
Moisture Resistant Flooring Grade Chipboard
We use 2 layers of 18mm, T&G glued and taped.
Layer 1 floats on Layer 2 with a glue only fixing to the acoustic membrane for superior acoustic dampening.
We fit a strip layer fitted around the perimeter cassettes to attenuate transmission to the wall panels.
Our chipboard uses 100% or near 100% recycled wood.
Core Insulation
Insulation is a complex trade off between cost, environmental impact and thickness. At AHS, we go into this in as much detail as the client wishes.
We are experts with:
Mineral Wool – probably the best trade off between cost and performance. We offer Knauf environmentally friendly mineral wool insulation with embodied energy reduced by up to 70% compared to traditional oil based binders. Made using sand and recycled glass bottles, the insulation does not contain artificial colours or added formaldehyde, resulting in environmental credentials of A+ in the BRE’s Green Guide. The insulation’s acoustic, thermal and fire protection – class A1 – properties are the same as the traditional mineral wool.
Sheep Wool - Thermafleece utilises hollow wool fibres, blended to an optimum density producing first-class thermal and acoustic performance in buildings whilst minimising impact on the environment. Manufactured in the UK using British sheep’s wool.
Hemp, Wood fibre and Cellulose – we offer these as alternatives, each with their own complex of merits and demerits.
Acoustic wide spectrum insulation barrier
We use a 5mm closed cell extruded polymer foam as a high performance and highly moisture resistant acoustic solution.
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Typical 23dB noise reduction per layer, which gives 46dB plus the acoustic absorbing insualtion batts
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Good compression resistance
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5mm acts as an acoustic layer and dpm
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Free from CFCs, HCFCs and any other material with ozone depletion potential in its manufacture and content and represents no known threat to the environment
