Installation of non-combustible insulation drives opening of Royal Papworth Hospital

Published: 9-May-2019

Work on new hospital stalled after new fire safety solution was required

The new Royal Papworth Hospital will be accepting its first patients this week after the installation of non-combustible insulation.

Construction of the new hospital began in 2015, but the project was delayed last year while additional work was carried out to ensure it would meet the highest standards in fire safety.

Issues with the insulation meant patients and staff had to continue using the old hospital for another winter while an alternative solution was found and the work was completed.

A high-performance, non-combustible insulation was sourced from British manufacturer, SuperFOIL Insulation, and now the hospital is ready to welcome its first patients.

The company supplied 5,500sq m of its non-combustible SFNC insulation for the project.

SuperFOIL SFNC is the only insulation of its kind to be certified by BRE as European Class A1 Non-Combustible.

Managing director of SuperFOIL Insulation, William Bown, said: “The new Royal Papworth Hospital is an incredible building that’ll help save lives so we wanted to do everything we could to help the hospital open as soon as possible.

“Of course, fire safety in large buildings is absolutely crucial and, as the only manufacturer of non-combustible multi-foil insulation, we were very happy to help.

“It was a big order for us, but one of the benefits of our SFNC is that it’s quick and easy to install and because it’s only 20mm thick, the exterior design of the hospital didn’t have to change at all.”

Despite the narrow 20mm width of the insulation, the product offers an R-value of up to 1.54, the same as 50mm of traditional glass wool insulation.

SFNC is also vapour resistant and thermally reflective, keeping buildings cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

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