Unity Square, Liverpool

When MCR Property Group purchased Unity Square in Liverpool, a £17m partially built student living scheme, it wanted to complete the project as quickly as possible.

The specification required a non-combustible insulation solution that complied with building regulations for the acoustic insulation of internal walls and separating floors. The company needed a large quantity of insulation delivered within a very short lead time to coincide with the period when hired vehicles would be on site. With this in mind, Knauf Insulation suggested Rocksilk® Flexible Slab, its multi-purpose Rock Mineral Wool insulation.

Designed for use in a wide variety of applications including internal walls, floors and partitions, and separating floors, and with excellent thermal performance, Rocksilk® Flexible Slab exceeded the specification requirements. Furthermore, Rocksilk® Flexible Slab has a non-combustible Euroclass A1 reaction to fire classification, making it suitable for internal use on residential dwelling buildings over 18m tall as outlined in the recent changes to Approved Document B.

As well as thermal and fire performance, Rocksilk® Flexible Slab has excellent sound absorption properties, providing high levels of sound insulation. As a result, the installation of the product in the 204 bedrooms and 36 studio flats will make life much more comfortable for the students living on the campus.

Rocksilk® Flexible Slab is manufactured with ECOSE® Technology, Knauf Insulation’s unique bio-based binder that contains no added formaldehyde or phenol. Products made with ECOSE® Technology generate low levels of dust and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and have been awarded Eurofins Indoor Air Comfort (Gold) certification.

Builders’ merchant, Selco Ardwick in Manchester, supplied Rocksilk® Flexible Slab direct to site. In total, 32 pallets were used, equating to nearly 3,500m2 of insulation.

For ease of installation, Rocksilk® Flexible Slab features a flexible edge which is designed to optimise friction fitting between studs, joists and rafters. MCR Property Group team found that its flexible edge combined with its lightweight design made the product much easier to install than alternative Rock Mineral Wool insulation they had used previously.

Thanks to Knauf Insulation’s speed of delivery, MCR Property Group was able to keep to a tight schedule that saw Unity Square open its doors in September in time for the start of the academic year. And while most of the students probably won’t give a second thought to the insulation, they will enjoy their safer, warmer and quieter new homes!