Insulation is one of the most important components of a rainscreen system and it’s vital the final construction delivers the designed thermal, fire safety and acoustic performance. 

We’re all aware of the recognised gap between how buildings are designed to perform and how they perform once built. With scrutiny from Building Regulations tightening and the introduction of the Building Safety Act (BSA), the correct installation of the right product, irrespective of site constraints, has never been more important. 

For example, best practice for installing insulation in rainscreen façades is to use a ‘rolling front’, but a survey of façade contractors suggests that this is only achieved approximately half the time due to scheduling issues. If insulation is left exposed to the elements for too long during construction, it could be damaged, and its performance compromised.

The solution is to use products that are more resilient to weathering, such as Rocksilk® RainScreen Slab EE, the UK’s first non-combustible rainscreen sheathing insulation with an enhanced water-repellent facing.* This facing protects the insulation from the weather and preserves its fire, thermal and acoustic performance, giving you flexibility if things don’t go precisely to plan on site. 

Contractors must navigate tighter requirements, and installation challenges to ensure the façade meets the designed standards and by choosing insulation that’s more resilient and easier to install correctly, contractors can help to ensure that rainscreen façades perform as intended, even under the scrutiny of modern compliance and Building Regulations. 

* Knauf Insulation conducted a number of tests for Rocksilk® RainScreen Slab EE. They conducted a hydrostatic head test comparison of the old BGV and the new EE facing which showed a result more than double in terms of a column of water the facing could withstand before soaking through. They also conducted accelerated weather testing of the finished product (freeze thaw / heat / rain etc.) to ETAG034 and measured the products critical characteristics before and after, showing no deterioration.