Barks Drive Crosswall Pilot, Stoke

Project Background:
In 2019, Structherm worked with Westdale North to refurbish 7 homes in Stoke. The buildings included in the work were of crosswall construction.

Crosswall properties present their own refurbishment challenges. The separating party walls and the end gable walls were built using standard materials and traditional brick and block construction whilst the front and rear
elevations were formed from a non-traditional timber frame which was then boarded /sheathed using a variety of materials including plywood and asbestos panelling.

These flimsy timber frame infill panels are not designed to be load-bearing, suffer significant air leakage and move excessively under lateral wind loads.

Before Refurbishment

After Refurbishment

Design Solution:

As a result whilst the gable walls, and columns of the party walls were structurally sound and could take a standard EWI system the front and rear walls needed a structural EWI solution – so our Hybrid system was utilised.

Working with the client and installer, the Hybrid system included Structural EWI panels for the weaker front and rear elevations, and our standard EWI for the gable walls.

 

The client was also concerned about the aesthetic of the properties. With dated black and orange panels, and faded brickwork, an updated look was really needed.

Westdale North looked to the type of bricks used on the property originally, and aimed to mimic the style with an ArtBrick™ resin finish.

This not only brought some colour back to the brick work of the homes, but also evened out discolouration on the apex of the gable walls. To help brighten the front, and add contrast to the brick, a cream render was used for the first floor.

Barks Drive - Residential Hybrid

Download the case study here.

Results:

  • Structherm’s Hybrid SEWI system is a cost-effective solution for thermal and aesthetic upgrading of non-traditional housing.
  • The aged orange appearance of the homes has been modernised with a clean, bright ArtBrick™ finish.
  • The Crosswall properties were thermally upgraded from 2.61W/m²K to 0.28 W/m²K.
  • There was no requirement for decanting tenants.