subject: Government Increasingly Looks to Insulated Panels and Flat Pack Technology [print this page] Government Increasingly Looks to Insulated Panels and Flat Pack Technology
Self builders are attracted to a flat pack house because of the low cost, speed and ease of construction, energy efficiency and the benefit of off-site construction. Little wonder then, that an increasing number of government buildings are being constructed using the same insulated panels and flat pack technology, reports SIP Direct (http://www.structuralinsulatedpanels.co.uk/).
Government and public sector buildings need to be low cost due to budgetary restrictions and a tight reign on all spending, particularly in this current climate. They often need to be constructed quickly, for instance in response to a sudden additional need for space (new school building or extension to government department). And in this era of environmental awareness, the government should be seen to practice what it preaches and build in an ecological way. All these factors have led the government to turn to insulated panels and the technology used in a standard flat pack house for government and public sector builds.
Structural insulated panels or SIPs are cheap yet strong enough to construct a highly durable building. SIPs are light and flexible, yet are completely air-tight, offering superior energy efficiency. The insulated panels can be formed into a skeleton' construction entirely off-site in just a matter of days, arriving at the construction site on the back of a lorry ready to be lowered into place. The rest of the construction can then be completed in all weathers as the wind-, rain- and air-tight skeleton building is already in place.
All of these factors make SIPs perfect for government and public sector buildings, which is why more of them are being constructed using insulated panels than ever before. The same flexibility in design that attracts self builders to a flat pack house is also highly beneficial for government builds. There are far more diverse requirements when it comes to public sector buildings than for residential buildings: a new wing of a hospital building is built in a very different way to a small tourist office. SIPs can be used in any type of building design, affording a flexibility which is unmatched by traditional methods of construction.
Just as more flat pack houses are appearing in streets up and down the UK, an increasing number of government buildings made from insulated panels are popping up around the country. For further details on this method of construction and its many applications, visit http://www.structuralinsulatedpanels.co.uk/.
