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External Walls - Timber Frame

Timber frame construction is one of the developed world’s most widely used

building methods.

Overview

Tried and tested, it fulfils a 21st century agenda, offering a method of construction which is engineered, energy efficient, sustainable and quality assured. With a huge supply of plantation timber readily available, this form of construction is environmentally friendly.

The benefits of timber frame construction are being extended to an increasing range of non-domestic building types, such as schools, hotels and health care facilities.

Advantages

Insulated external timber frame walls can provide better insulation performance than masonry walls of comparable thickness.

Timber frame is also widely recognised as a most environmentally friendly construction method with extremely low ‘embodied energy’. This is the energy required to manufacture a building component or material, deliver it to site and install or construct, in effect cradle to grave impact. In this respect, timber frame performs much better than standard masonry construction.

Timber frame offers unique advantages to developers, builders and contractors:

Construction is fast because of off-site prefabrication.
A range of U-values can be achieved depending on Building Regulations and the required level of thermal performance.
Excellent thermal efficiency (potentially better than masonry construction).
Potential for easy future renovation.
Pre-fabrication enhances quality control due to off-site manufacture, thereby reducing the risk of on-site workmanship problems.
Relatively light weight requiring reduced footing and foundations compared to masonry construction.

Knauf Insulation Products

TP116 is a lightweight unfaced glasswool available in both slab form in a range of conductivities.
Unifit 035 is is a roll of un-faced glasswool specially designed for providing superior thermal and acoustic insulation in pitched roofs and external timber frame walls. Unifit 035 has a unique stiffness characteristic enabling extremely easy 'friction fit' installation. Special ‘x’ marking enable easy measurement and cutting.

Summary

Knauf Insulation provide products for a range of timber frame systems, giving options depending on Building Regulations, the preferred method of construction and the required level of thermal performance.

Detailed Design Considerations

Building Regulations

A wide variety of U-values can be achieved when using different timber stud widthes and the thermal performance of the specified glasswool.

The Importance of Condensation Control

A vapour control layer is essential on the ‘warm’ side of the insulation to reduce the risk of condensation forming. The vapour control layer may be incorporated within the plasterboard or installed separately. Joints should be as few as possible and sealed, with special care taken around penetrations for services.

A breather membrane on the outside of the sheathing is also necessary to protect against water penetration whilst allowing water vapour to escape.

As a rule of thumb, the vapour resistance of the materials on the ‘warm’ side of the insulation should have at least five times the vapour resistance of the materials on the ‘cold’ side of the insulation.

Timber Frame and Fire Performance

Timber frame walls with glasswool insulation can easily achieve a half hour fire resistance.

In most timber frame construction the cavity must be divided with cavity barriers in order to reduce the risk of fire spread.

Future Refurbishment

Building in timber frame provides the designer and developer the scope for easy future refurbishment and/or extension