The creation of a major accommodation complex to house workers constructing the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station has included the use of illbruck ME011 Breather Membrane, together with other products from the illbruck brand range of tremco illbruck.
Already a long-established supplier to Caledonian Modular, illbruck was selected to supply system solutions for making almost 1,500 bedroom and living units both airtight and weathertight before leaving the offsite specialist’s Nottinghamshire factory. Caledonian’s contract for Laing O’Rourke also saw the use of illbruck adhesives, while illbruck glazing sealants and tapes were employed by a sub-contractor for window installation.
Senior engineer for Caledonian Modular, Dave Watson, commented, “As one of our OEM suppliers, tremco illbruck has always provided us with good technical support and dependable deliveries. In the case of the contract for Laing O’Rourke tremco illbruck worked on both Phase 1 and Phase 2, both of which required a UV stable breather membrane.
“The first phase saw the accommodation units being finished using timber cladding boards separated by 100 mm gaps, while the Phase 2 buildings, up to three storeys high, were finished using a Marley Eternit rainscreen cladding with 10mm gaps. Overall the project went very well and all of the accommodation buildings are now handed over.”
Prior to beginning production of the 1,496 modules for Hinkley Point, Caledonian Modular carried out exhaustive testing of a prototype unit at the world renowned CWCT laboratories within Bath University to ensure all criteria on weather resistance were met.
ME011 is a highly vapour open breather membrane which can be left fully exposed to sunlight for up to six months, and is also suited to semi-visible applications because it has a matt black, unbranded appearance. The membrane can be applied direct to sheathing boards or over rigid insulation panels before being covered by rainscreen cladding and curtain walling. It can be supplied with self-adhesive edge strips or, as in this case, installed using illbruck ME315 Total Protection Tape, as well as illbruck SP525 Frame and Façade Sealant & Adhesive.
For further information, please call 01942 251400 or visit www.tremco-illbruck.com.
