Thermedia 0.6B reduces heat losses by 40 per cent and improves insulation properties by three times over conventional concrete
Footprint recently attended a workshop on Thermomedia0.6B, a Lafarge product branded as an efficient building systems (EBS). Thermedia0.6B is aBES 6001-accredited structural concrete, four times lighter than conventional concrete, which reduces heat loss due to thermal bridging by four times when combined with internal insulation. After four years of R&D and three years of trial on the French market, Lafarge is now looking at its application to the UK market.
The product’s thermal conductivity of 0.6W/mK means that insulation thickness can be reduced without affecting the thermal properties of a building. Other attributes of Thermedia0.6B are lower VOC levels and the incorporation of recycled content. Lafarge estimates that Thermediao.6B reuses almost 50 times more waste than it generates.
According to Lafarge general manager Colin Dowds, Zac Ile Marante, a 4,464m2 apartment complex recently completed northwest of Paris, benefitted from the use of Thermedia0.6B which enabled the construction of a lightweight building without compromising structural performance. Waste production was reduced since the material has a low density of 1,400kg/m3, while enabling the building to be 100% demountable and recyclable.
Thermedia0.6B (right) reduces energy losses due to thermal bridges by almost 40 per cent
Lafarge is currently studying which EBS is most suitable to implement in the UK, based on the 70 types already tested in France. Forthcoming systems include energy piles, pervious concrete and vaulted and high performance ceilings. Buildings such as David Chipperfield Architects’ Hepworth Wakefield have incorporated Lafarge’s pigmented on-site concrete.
