Illustrating what can be achieved with a committed sustainability new build programme, Lamba Trading Company Ltd at Trafford Park in Manchester, is a case in point. Originally a removals and storage facility, the building was destroyed in April 2008 by a fire that resulted in total demolition of the original building. As a result of the damage, a rebuild programme was undertaken to construct a new industrial storage and distribution facility.

A built-up envelope system was specified for the new storage and distribution warehouses with 2,241 m² of Corus Panels and Profiles R32 profile in Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra® in Goosewing Grey specified for the roof. For the walls, 1,477 m2 of Corus Panels and Profiles C32 profile was specified in Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra® in Goosewing Grey and Merlin Grey.

Mark Green, Contract Manager, Northern Cladding comments: “Offering a complete built-up building envelope system, Corus Panels and Profiles was clearly able to understand our specific requirements and able to offer genuinely objective advice to deliver the best products for the varied applications.”

He continues: “A key requirement for the new industrial development was ensuring that it complied with Building Regulations Part L2 2006 for England and Wales. Corus Panels and Profiles specified a built-up system that guaranteed the building envelope not only met the necessary building regulations but that it would also benefit from reduced energy consumption throughout the building’s lifespan as a result.”

Air leakage is quantified as air permeability. This is the rate of leakage (m3/h/m2) in or out of the dwelling. The Corus Panels and Profiles built-up system achieved excellent standards
of air-tightness and thermal efficiency with an air leakage rate of just 5m3/h/m2 – less than 10m2/h/m2 – which is well within maximum permissible leakage rates for buildings within Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) of the Building Regulations 2006.

By achieving high levels of air-tightness and thermal performance through the building envelope, it was possible to construct a facility that operates highly efficiently in terms of both energy usage and CO2 emissions. With environmental considerations, government legislation and faced with escalating energy bills, considering a building’s long term sustainability credential simply makes good business sense.