When designing intertenancy floors and walls, designers should consider the thermal bridging and construction R-value, space considerations and required fire ratings. The Kingspan Kooltherm insulation range can be used as continuous insulation to mitigate thermal bridging and improve the overall thermal performance of the building.

Heat will naturally follow the paths of least resistance and travel to cooler temperatures often using thermal bridges as their path. Without addressing thermal bridges, heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer can be a problem. A building that has a high thermal performance can provide benefits to the occupants including saving energy costs that could be incurred by the use of heating or cooling systems, and a more comfortable and healthier environment.

Kingspan Kooltherm insulation can offer increased rentable or sellable space. The usable space in a building is a key metric when it comes to the value and investment potential of real estate. Properties with bigger internal floor areas command a higher rental return in addition to higher overall financial values and could lead to greater Return on Investment (ROI).

Due to the low thermal conductivity of Kingspan Kooltherm insulation (as low as 0.022W/mK at 15ºC as per AS/NZS 4859.1:2018), the wall, roof or floor's built-up thickness could be reduced. This enables the designer to maximise valuable internal floor space with K12 Framing Board or K17 Insulated Plasterboard as an internal lining or to maximise ceiling height with K10 Soffit Board providing insulation in an underground car park roof or as the interior insulation on a concrete roof structure. K10 Soffit board is faced with a durable silver foil face or an attractive white finish to improve reflectivity and light.

The thickness of external walls incorporating Kingspan Kooltherm wall insulation solutions can be thinner than that incorporating comparative solutions — enabling internal space gains without having to increase the overall designed footprint of a building.

Fire performance is a key consideration for multi-dwelling units and Kingspan Kooltherm offers tested solutions for interior lining applications: K10 G2 Soffit insulation offers a Group 2-S and K17 Insulated Plasterboard a Group 1-S when tested to AS ISO 9705:2003 (R2016). The Kingspan Kooltherm product range is a rigid cellular insulation that is a thermoset material, rather than thermoplastic such as Polystyrene products, which means it does not melt when heated.

Kingspan’s technical team will be happy to assist developers and architects with the optimum specification of Kooltherm Insulation to maximise internal space while also delivering all other performance requirements. Kingspan offer thermal performance calculations and dew point analysis for Kingspan designs, providing confidence and compliance.

Achieving greater sustainability

Kingspan’s Planet Passionate is their 10-year group-wide sustainability programme that aims to impact three big global issues: climate change, circularity and protection of our natural world. It focuses on the improvement of their own manufacturing facilities and the built environment. Kingspan Insulation’s 6 Star Green rated manufacturing facility in Somerton, Victoria, Australia, is compliant with five separate ISO standards: ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, ISO 50001:2018, and ISO 37301:2021. These accreditations ensure that Kingspan considers the impact its business activities have on all stakeholders and adopts a lifecycle perspective towards goods and services when formulating policies and procedures.

The following products from Kingspan's Kooltherm range of phenolic insulation have achieved GreenTag GreenRate Level C:

• Kooltherm K10 G2 Soffit Board,
• Kooltherm K10 G2W White Soffit Board,
• Kooltherm K12 Framing Board, and
• Kooltherm K17 Insulated Plasterboard. 

The Kooltherm K10 G2 Soffit Board and K17 Insulated Plasterboard also have an Environmental Product Declaration and the K12 Framing Board will soon have its own Environmental Product Declaration.