FDBusiness.com

Once upon a time, strong environmental ratings for a building were considered nice-to-haves – the preserve of clients with big budgets and architects with significant design responsibility. However, advances in environmentally-friendly building technology, coupled with a strong business case for sustainability, have effected a market shift that is pushing the environment up the agenda like never before.

Even discounting the impact of tightening building and energy regulations, the increasing prevalence of building assessment methodology ratings in the property market has been enough to drive this change.

BREEAM and LEED Accreditation

Interestingly, more and more stakeholders view BREEAM and LEED accreditation as fundamental attributes for their buildings, as vital indeed as location, floor space and construction cost. The traditional view has been that these certifications increased the kerb appeal of premises – helping to seal the deal when all the other boxes were ticked. But increasingly, the market is recognising the financial gains associated with enhanced thermal performance and sustainably constructed buildings.

So how will the industry respond to the market’s desire for better buildings? First, we need to define a truly environmentally-friendly building. Broadly speaking, it is one that will have a minimal impact on its surrounding environment and contribute positively to the wider world.

To achieve this goal the environmentally friendly building should reduce energy consumption to a minimum, be constructed using products that mitigate environmental impact with a low carbon footprint, that will perform for the duration of a building’s desired life, and finally, that can be readily recycled when the building has finished it functional life.

New Technology

Kingspan’s new high performance insulated panel meets all of these needs, by utilising revolutionary new hydrid IPN-QuadCore technology. IPN Quadcore delivers industry-leading thermal performance, delivering significantly reduced energy consumption. While its superior fire protection and unique structural and thermal performance guarantee ensure it will perform as-built for 40 years. Finally, the unique microcell technology developed by Kingspan Insulated Panels ensures the manufacturing process is as efficient as possible, and every IPN-QuadCore panel can be fully recycled at end-of-life to ensure no building waste ends up in landfill.

All of this not only means that IPN-QuadCore adds six valuable BREEAM points to a building, it also potentially adds value, with a recent University of Maastricht study showing the cumulative impact on rental yields of environmentally-friendly buildings¹. This results in better buildings that work harder for owners and tenants, and a better environment for everyone.

¹ Supply, Demand and the Value of Green Buildings, Chegut et al, http://usj.sagepub.com/content/51/1/22.abstract.

Please contact Kingspan to discover how IPN-QuadCore technology can enhance the environmental performance of your project – Tel 00353 42 96 98500, E-mail aidan.doyle@kingspan.com or visit www.ipn-quadcore.co.uk.