Therma TR26
Composite foil facing insulation for waterproofed flat roofs
First Building is the landmark building completed in Bradfield City Centre, Australia’s first new city in 100 years. The building houses Stage 1 of the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility (AMRF), alongside industry tenants.
LOCATIONWestern Sydney, NSW
ArchitectHassell
The design of the First Building is inspired by the surrounding landscape and reflects a deep connection to Country, a defining feature of this landmark urban development.
Located in Bradfield, Western Sydney, just a 5-minute metro ride from the new Western Sydney International Airport, the First Building is an innovation accelerator. It offers facilities with advanced technology, expertise, training, and networks, and sets an environmentally conscious and resilient benchmark of purposeful building for the new city.
Designing sustainable buildings means considering all aspects, from the landscaping to the roof. The First Building meets this challenge with its well-insulated, large curved roof structure. The roof provides rainwater harvesting and solar energy generation, and shades the façades below with wide eaves that reduce heat ingress and help to mitigate energy consumption.
The green roof, featuring 14,000 native plants, also helps to moderate internal heat gain and manage water run-off, while creating an ecological space in which local fauna and flora can thrive.
The Roof System
The First Building’s roof design required both flat and tapered insulation boards, supplied by Kingspan Insulation. Specialist warm roof system installer ARW Group utilised Kingspan Therma roof insulation boards placed above the structural deck but below the waterproofing membrane layer, which was manufactured by Soprema and facilitated by waterproofing partner Enduroflex.
Therma TR26 and Therma TR27, which are compatible with most green-roof systems, were used for the flat roof insulation, while tapered products Therma TT46 and Therma TT47 provided insulation and drainage, supporting the rainwater harvesting aspect of the design.
The 1300-sqm green roof has been planted with 14,000 biodiverse native low-maintenance plants, mostly local endemic species that are compatible with Western Sydney’s extreme climate. The roof-top planting scheme enhances the building’s thermal performance by blocking solar radiation and providing further insulation. Kingspan Therma insulation provides the necessary compressive strength and moisture resistance to support this kind of extensive green roof scheme.
Project Administrator for Soprema, Richard Avajon said, “The compatibility between Soprema membranes and Kingspan Therma boards played a significant role in simplifying the First Building project. It streamlined installation and ensured we could achieve the right balance of thermal performance and waterproofing. For a project of this scale, having systems that integrate seamlessly contributed to a smoother delivery and greater confidence on-site.”
The part of the large roof structure that features the tapered Therma insulation is designed to channel and harvest rainwater, which is collected by an in-ground 150kL rainwater tank. The rainwater is then stored, treated and reused on-site for landscape irrigation and grey water use.
Speaking about the warm roof, Wayne Lloyd, Managing Director of Enduroflex had this to add, “We’ve worked with Kingspan products on a number of projects and always found that their performance on different substrates like concrete, metal, or CLT makes them a versatile choice. For the AMRF, Kingspan Therma roof boards offered the right insulation solution for the complexities of the roof design and waterproofing system - both in terms of their high R-value, slim profile, lightweight nature, and durability under foot traffic and other loading. The tapered boards provide a straightforward and effective way of ensuring good drainage helping to support the longevity of the roof construction.”
Enduroflex collaborated with Kingspan and Soprema from the concept phase to design and facilitate the complete Warm Roof system, ensuring that all stakeholders fully understood and embraced its benefits. They provided comprehensive, end-to-end support throughout the implementation process, delivering a seamless and effective integration.
Kingspan Therma boards are thermally efficient, lightweight and offer high compressive strength, making them suitable for green roofs, and a natural choice for applications that demand foot-traffic durability. As well as better compressive strength, the PIR core provides a significantly higher R-value compared to more traditional insulation products, such as glasswool. For this project, it contributed towards the roof’s ability to lower the building temperature by up to 20 degrees in Western Sydney’s extreme climate, helping to stabilise the indoor environment.
Finally, a 180kW solar PV installation on the rooftop is supported by a 460kWh battery on-site to power the building and to manage and supply its energy needs.
This combination of different sustainable elements ensures that the building reduces heat absorption, manages rainfall and generates its own power, allowing it to operate efficiently and demonstrate resilience in the face of extreme weather conditions.
Sustainable Design Throughout
Designed by architects Hassell Studio and constructed by main contractor Taylor, the First Building features a mass-timber structure with low embodied carbon. The modular design of the prefabricated timber elements provides flexibility for the future, as the components can be disassembled and relocated to a different site, reconfigured or even reused for a different building type as needed.
Sustainable construction materials are used throughout. For example, the structure’s use of green concrete reduces the amount of Portland cement by 40% compared with standard concrete mixes. Sixteen rammed earth walls made of locally sourced materials help maintain a constant internal temperature through high thermal mass, with the added benefit of being low in embodied carbon. Natural ventilation cools the building through atrium and façade panel openings.
If you have an enquiry about building for sustainability, warm roof insulation or need advice on the design of tapered roof, get in touch with our Technical Services team.
Images courtesy of Bradfield Development Authority
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