Polarwall - insulating concrete formwork

Baggy Point by Jemima JewelOnly 10% of the environmental impact of building a house is in the embodied energy of the materials used to build it. That means that 90% is caused by the heating, cooling and lighting of our homes.

A Polarwall home will significantly reduce this impact by offering excellent energy efficiency throughout the whole life of the buildings presence.

Polarwall uses concrete as the structure to the building and permanently encases this with insulation, thus preventing breakdown of the structural element. This means a Polarwall home will last a lot longer than, timber frame or other lightweight structures, making it a far more eco-friendly construction.

Couple this longevity with the energy efficiency, and we have a home that is both sustainable and very environmentally efficient.

The materials we use

Concrete

It is surprising to most people to find out that concrete is one of the most environmentally sustainable materials, far more than steel and timber. In 2002 reports were undertaken to demonstrate that of the total CO2 emissions in the UK, concrete accounted for just 2.6%. Concrete is far more sustainable as it out lives materials such as timber.

The cement in the concrete can be replaced with waste material from power stations by as much as 40% of it's volume, and along with the use of recycled aggregates, concrete isn't as damaging as most people think.

After it's useful life concrete can also be recycled.

Polystyrene

Polarwall uses high dense extruded polystyrene (XPS) that is more thermally effective than expanded (EPS). Using XPS gives the product greater robustness to withstand the pressures of the concrete within the formwork.

XPS is

  • CFC (Chloro-fluorocarbons) & HCFC (Hydrochloro-fluorocarbons) free
  • Does not contribute to the depletion of the ‘Ozone Layer’ (ODP)
  • Has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of less than 5
  • 100% recyclable
  • Does not promote condensation within the home thus eliminating fungi & bacteria, helping sufferers with asthma and other allergies

Plastic framework

The framework to hold the insulation in place is largely made from 100% recycled PVC. This is mainly a by-product from the window manufacturing process.