Poor thermal insulator meets specific requirements

Citation

(2000), "Poor thermal insulator meets specific requirements", Facilities, Vol. 18 No. 13/14. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.2000.06918mab.013

Poor thermal insulator meets specific requirements

Keywords Environment, Buildings, Concrete

The increasingly popular trend of designing environmentally-friendly "Green" buildings, where large areas of exposed concrete are often used as "heat sink" to assist in the redistribution of stored heat, can pose a dilemma.

The question is: How should the concrete soffit be decorated? More pointedly, how should the soffit be decorated in order to avoid creating potential acoustic complications?

The apparent problems of such exposed concrete slabs are numerous. They will reflect, not absorb, noise generated by people and equipment, especially in office surroundings. The application of a paint finish alone is unlikely to satisfy either acoustic or aesthetic requirements. Conventional suspended ceilings tend to be at odds with the design philosophy, which demands maximum exposure of the soffit.

While many spray-applied acoustic coatings will provide the necessary control of noise reverberation, most will present the major disadvantage of low thermal conductivity properties. Needless to say, this is not a desirable feature in these situations, since good thermal insulation dramatically restricts heat absorption into the concrete slab.

In order to meet the unique technical requirements connected with the design of such "Green" buildings – those of providing a decorative finish with high thermal conductivity, as well as acoustic performance over a wide range of frequencies – Firespray International Ltd has specifically developed Audex W.

Audex W is a poor thermal insulator. Thus it facilitates the passage of air through it and into the concrete more efficiently than other sprayed coatings. In addition, being white cement based, it is totally compatible with direct application to fresh concrete and at an applied thickness of 14mm. It is also able to conceal any shutter imprint imperfections in the concrete soffit.

Firespray manufacture a range of Audex acoustic coatings to enhance sound absorption on almost every conceivable type of commonly-used building material. The range is sufficiently versatile to be applied to ceilings and walls in most interior and semi-exposed locations, even within environments with fluctuating high humidity levels. It is produced in a full range of colour options, from white through to black, enabling it to complement the diverse requirements of almost any building theme, be it social, artistic, cultural, sporting, commercial or industrial, whether historic or contemporary.

For further details contact: Stephen Bush, Firespray International Ltd, Douglas Drive, Catteshall Lane, Godalming Surrey GU7 1JX. Tel: +44 (0)1483 424712; Fax: +44 (0)1483 413914.