Our Systems and Products:- Timber Frame Systems
- Steel Frame Systems
- Roof Systems
- Floor Systems
- Thermoplan Ziegel Wall Systems
- EWI Masonry Wall Systems
- Pavadentro Renovation Systems
- Lime Plasters, Renders, Mortars
- Contract Eco Paints
- Natural Insulations
The Company Useful Information:
- NBT Seminars and Demonstrations at Ecobuild
- NBT Demonstrates Passivhaus Solutions at Ecobuild
- High Performance Homes Benefit From Sustainable Construction
- Severn Gorge Puts Trust in NBT
- NBT insulates ‘English building’ museum
- NBT insulates multi award winning Waingels College
- NBT insulates luxury Scottish countryside home
- NBT insulates award winning recyclable school building
- NBT insulates ‘Outstanding’ SusCon
- NBT insulates the UK’s first affordable certified Passivhaus
- NBT envelope succeeds at Expo
- NBT meets ‘Excellent’ criteria for One Brighton
NBT Helps to Deliver One Planet Home
Natural Building Technologies’ BBA accredited Diffutherm woodfibre insulation system and Siga airtightness tapes have been specifed and used to construct a highly energy efficient, ultra low carbon home by former WWF One Planet Homes campaign manager, Simon McWhirter. The products, along with NBT’s breathable render and paints were selected because of their sustainable, non-toxic credentials allied to their high performance and ability to deliver a healthy living environment.
Located in a conservation area near Swansea in South Wales, the home had to meet certain criteria to satisfy the planners. Simon McWhirter’s own requirements demanded that the materials used to build the home adhered as closely to the One Planet Living principles as his knowledge and budget could get him. These included zero carbon, zero waste, sustainable water use, and contributing to a healthy internal environment for his children.
100mm thick NBT Diffutherm natural woodfibre interlocking boards were installed over the outside of the house’s timber frame structure, with an external finish of NBT mineral-based, breathable render applied directly onto the external face of the boards. Recycled newspaper insulation was installed between the 140mm deep timber studs, and internal racking boards of OSB enclosed the timber frame structure internally.
This combination produced an excellent U-value of just 0.18 W/m2K. It also ensured that the building envelope was fully breathable, thereby minimising the risk of damp and the formation of interstitial condensation, thus providing protection to the building fabric and contributing to healthier internal air quality.
NBT natural woodfibre Diffutherm boards are manufactured from 95% recycled wood waste from FSC certified sources and lock up 1.2 tonnes of CO2 for every tonne of boards produced. Designed to deliver excellent windtightness, NBT Diffutherm also provides good acoustic insulation and effective overheating control through its inherent thermal mass.
The OSB boards were sealed internally using adhesive tapes to deliver exceptional levels of airtightness. Various tapes were used throughout the house, especially at openings and junctions, such as window frames and other construction details that are vulnerable to air leakage. This achieved an air permeability performance of 2.89 m2/h/m2 at 50 Pa compared with the Building Regulations requirement of less than 10 m2/h/m2.
To ensure the correct levels of ventilation were achieved, the home uses a whole house mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system.
Further contributing to the healthy environment of the house, NBT breathable paints were used for both internal and external decoration.
Additional energy efficiency and sustainability features of the house include high performance double and triple-glazed windows, 10m2 of solar panels, and rainwater harvesting for flushing toilets and feeding the home’s outside tap. In addition, the gardens around the house are stocked with native plant species and feature bat boxes, bird huts and wildlife areas to encourage biodiversity.
