Vistry Innovation Centre
This timber frame building houses over 100 innovative technologies.
Case Study5 min read
Situated in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter, Beaufort House offers 88 one and two bedroomed apartments in the heart of Birmingham city centre.
Benchmark Architects have drawn on Urban Luxe and Art Deco influences for their revisions to the Beaufort Housing Development Project. This styling is continued within all of the apartment rooms, which also feature generous open-plan living areas and a range of modern facilities.
The construction work, overseen by Shaylor Group Plc, included the erection of a recessed, two-storey roof extension.
LOCATIONBirmingham, UK
ArchitectBenchmark Architects
The design team looked to bring the existing fabric up to the standard of current Building Regulations. To insulate the ceiling of the basement and an undercroft below the ground floor they specified over 650 m² of Kooltherm K110 Soffit Board.
The soffit insulation board has a thermal conductivity of 0.019 W/mK across all thicknesses, one of the lowest commonly used insulation material. This allowed heat loss through the ground floor of the building to be minimised without significantly reducing headroom within the basement area which contains a bike store for tenants. Installers mechanically fixed the boards to the basement ceiling and concrete undercroft soffit.
The building’s stylish, glazed roof extension has been designed to provide contrast with the brick façade of the main building. To insulate its external walls, 57.5 mm Kooltherm K118 Insulated Plasterboard was installed. The product combines vapour control, 12.5 mm plasterboard and a premium performance insulation core in a single product. This allowed installers to rapidly fit the drylining insulation and begin decorating the apartments. The internal layer of insulation also mean that flats respond more quickly to heating– keeping them comfortable throughout the cooler months.
Page updated: 5/11/2025
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