Innovative product significantly reduces thermal bridging in masonry cavity walls and is 35 per cent lighter than traditional alternatives for easier installation on site
Building materials manufacturer Leviat has designed a thermally efficient windpost to minimise thermal bridging in cavity walls. The move comes as UK housebuilders face the zero-carbon-ready Future Homes Standard from 2025, when the building design for new residential developments changes.
Windposts provide lateral support to long panels of brickwork without piers or supporting walls, or hidden support within piers adjacent to large openings. The Thermal Windpost TWP2 is part of the Ancon range of steel construction fixings and offers up to 70 per cent reduction in thermal transmission through the span of the windpost, guaranteeing to meet the BRE level for thermal performance.
It features integral mineral fibre insulation to ensure continuity of insulation in the cavity and its innovative design means the windpost sits level with the outside face of partial-fill insulation so it can be taped to further reduce thermal heat loss. This eliminates the time-consuming cutting of insulation to fit behind or around the windpost, increasing the speed and consistency of installation.
Manufactured with a teardrop fold for strength and engineered to minimise weight, the Ancon Thermal Windpost is up to 35 per cent lighter than traditional windposts, which reduces the need for complex manual handling for longer lengths, making it easier to install on site.
Windposts are used largely in commercial and residential developments and increasingly in housing to provide open-plan spaces. Unless correctly specified and installed, windposts can downgrade the thermal performance of a wall by creating voids in the insulation layer that can be difficult to properly fill or easy to overlook when installing insulation.
The Ancon Thermal Windpost ensures proper continuity in the insulation layer and makes installation of the surrounding insulation more consistent and straightforward, helping contractors and building designers realise the designed thermal performance of the detail.
Getting windposts right is crucial to achieving the levels of fabric heat loss being demanded in the race for zero-carbon construction. The Ancon Thermal Windpost addresses one of the many thermal heat loss issues across a building’s fabric that contribute to the ‘performance gap’ between designed and realised thermal performance.
Leviat is a global leader in connecting, fixing, lifting and anchoring technology. It designs Ancon stainless steel support and restraint fixings for masonry cladding, engineered concrete connections and reinforcement continuity systems.
For more information and techncial support, visit ancon.co.uk
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