Eurocell Modus sends sound attenuation into Orbit
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April 26, 2018
Orbit Housing’s Fordham House in Stratford-upon-Avon aims to raise the bar for rented accommodation. The 82-apartment block will reportedly provide enhanced protection against noise, a superior maintenance and repair strategy and additional facilities such as secure internal bike storage rooms.
Adam Cooper, Orbit commercial director, said: “We saved a significant amount without compromising on the specification or the design, and from a planner’s point of view, they look identical.”
Constructed from dense concrete blocks with hollowcore flooring, the three- and four-storey building is clad in a mixture of curtain walling and green wall – sections of planted walls which will be automatically fed and irrigated.
Acoustic improvements were high on the menu of potential value-enhancing features. Orbit says it has ‘beefed up’ the acoustic barriers between floors with a layer of insulation and screed with suspended ceilings added to the deep hollow concrete slab. It has also added fitted blinds within the reveals of the windows to provide an additional noise cushion for shift workers who need to sleep during the day.
Mr Cooper added: “We did not need to increase the specification for the windows: the existing specification from Eurocell provided the level of acoustic protection that we needed.”
Coming with a 12-year guarantee, the Modus system is available in nine solid and woodgrain-effect colours, all of which are available with white internal finishes to create a light and airy living environment. A further range of more than 40 solid and woodgrain effect finishes is available, including colour both sides.
BBA-certified to function satisfactorily for more than 35 years, the Modus range reportedly achieves a U-value of 1.2 W/m² using 4/20/4 mm using sealed double-glazed units. This effective thermal performance is due to the 75mm six-chamber profile system used in the Modus that also enables the range to achieve a U-value of 0.7 by installing triple-glazed units.
This has reportedly led to Modus becoming one of the very first systems to achieve the BFRC Window Energy Rating (WER) of A++. This is only awarded to windows with an energy index value equal to or greater than +20; and Modus A++ designs include casement, reversible and tilt and turn.
Consisting of 50% post-consumer recycled PVC-U as standard, Modus is said to have a smaller carbon footprint than products made or recycled outside of the UK. Eurocell achieves this by employing dual material extrusion technology (DMET) that layers post-consumer recycled and ‘virgin’ material simultaneously, so the recycled material is concentrated in the central core of the profiles where it cannot be seen once the door or window is installed.
