Summary
• FinnRoof will be launched at Ecobuild.
• There is growing demand for Finnforest’s Low E wall panels.
• SoundBar has been adapted for use in flats over garages.
• Leno cross-laminated timber is increasingly being specified.
Ecobuild will see the launch of a new panellised roof system, FinnRoof – another example of Finnforest’s well-established systems approach to floor, wall and roof solutions.
These are increasingly in demand, according to Kevin Riley, Finnforest’s construction industry vice-president.
“While cost is the primary driver there will always be a place for ‘traditional’ open panel timber frame systems but there is a growing interest in and demand for our Low E wall and roof panels [combining FJI joists and Kerto LVL),” he said.
More than 10,000m² of these high-performance panels had been installed in Tesco and Sainsbury stores in the UK by the end of 2011, he added.
Acoustic floor system
The company has seen similar success with SoundBar, the acoustic floor system it developed in association with Bellway Homes.
“We are seeing uptake in care homes and student accommodation blocks where noise is a concern,” said Mr Riley. “And we have adapted the system for use by housebuilders in flat over garage (FOG) units. Here it’s delivering excellent acoustic performance and has replaced concrete plank.
“We’re also looking to introduce SoundBar into the hotel sector. There are organisations that guarantee a good night’s sleep or your money back, so we think it should be a receptive market.”
Finnforest’s intermediate floor solution incorporates Finnjoist and exceeds the 43dB requirement for sound transmission, which means developers in Scotland can achieve the demands of the 2010 Scottish Building Regulations. In fact, the acoustic performance of this system has been tested to 44dB using a standard 220mm-deep Finnjoist. The key elements required to achieve this are a 22mm P5 chipboard, a 220mm-deep Finnframe floor, 100mm of insulation between the joists and a 15mm wallboard.
The Kerto Ripa structural roof and floor panel is also finding favour. “We’ve recently completed a timber frame commercial office scheme that incorporated our Kerto Ripa system as the intermediate floors,” said Mr Riley. “The developer wanted ultimate flexibility on the configuration of the internal space and the fact that Kerto Ripa could span in excess of 9m with commercial loadings made this an ideal solution. The fact that the entire unit was installed in half a day was an additional benefit.”
Energy efficiency
While Kerto LVL provides an engineered solution to achieve structural performance benefits over standard timber frame systems in creating roofs, walls and floors, it also supports the drive for more energy efficiency through the building fabric.
Finnframe itself continues to develop in order to meet these needs. Even just small changes in the detailing can help to achieve tighter joints between walls and floors, helping to avoid cold bridges and air leakage, and improve U-values. Using thermally modelled details, delivery partners can see the beneficial effects of these changes, with Finnforest’s Finnframe software calculating Psi values.
The floor, wall and roof market is also opening up for cross-laminated timber and Finnforest says specifiers are “prepared to be bolder” when it comes to using its Leno product.
“We had an enquiry recently for a museum which is looking to use Leno quite extensively within a steel frame building,” said Mr Riley. “Leno is being considered as a floor element because they need a shallow panel that can take five kilonewtons of dead load and five kilonewtons of live load – and it’s only a solution like Leno that can deliver that kind of performance.”
