Kingspan TEK villas are ready for the summer sun

The Kingspan TEK Building System has been used to construct five luxury villas at the Porth Veor Manor Hotel near Newquay – providing the perfect seaside spot for holiday makers.

The mid-19th Century manor sits in two acres of terraced lawn gardens. In 2007, a swimming pool and 12 cottages were added to the resort and, with demand continuing to grow, the owners chose to build a further row of two-storey villas in an underused section of the grounds.

The Kingspan TEK Building System of structural insulated panels (SIPs) was specified for the project for a variety of reasons, as Mike Burke from contractors Sip Hus, explained: “The design of the units, their location, size and performance requirements meant that the Kingspan TEK Building System was the best choice for the structural shells.

“The excellent thermal performance of the panels allowed us to maximise the internal spaces within the given footprint without having to compromise on thermal efficiency.”

The Kingspan TEK panels feature a high-performance rigid insulation core which is sandwiched between two layers of OSB/3. The panels were factory cut to the villa’s designs by SIP Hus Ltd.

This allowed them to be installed quickly and efficiently once onsite, with the structural shells erected in just five weeks.

To reflect the architecture of the surrounding beach front properties, the upper storey of each villa is clad in New England style boarding whilst the lower storey is rendered in light neutral colours.

To help situate the buildings within their natural surroundings, the villas were designed with barrelled green roofs. This curved form presented an unusual challenge for the contractors, as Mike Burke added:

“In order to create a curve, the roof panels were spanned horizontally and faceted then battened and lined with plywood. The step in each villa also added to the complexity of the canopy design.”

The panels feature a unique jointing system which reduces thermal bridging and, in combination with their OSB/3 facing, also allowed air leakage to be reduced. This creates a warm and comfortable environment for holidaymakers, whilst also minimising their long-term heating costs