Schöck thermal bridging solution at Canada Water Library

New Canada Water Library

Led by Southwark Council and BL Canada Quays Ltd, the Canada Water regeneration programme is a key part of the new town centre for Rotherhithe in London Docklands.

• Designed by CZWG Architects
• Library partly overhangs the lake and resembles an inverted pyramid

The four-storey £14m building is clad in aluminium sheets that are anodised in a light bronze with sequined perforations, giving it sculptural appeal and striking visual effects  A dominant internal feature is a striking full height atrium, with a timber-lined central spiral staircase travelling up to the expanding shape above.

Sustainable credentials of Canada Water

Canada Water, being the only body of fresh water in Docklands, is something of a wildlife refuge and the new Library which nestles at one end of the lake, incorporates its own sustainable credentials; including a ground source heat pump, grey water harvesting and a green sedum roof.  Thermal efficiency and energy saving construction are also key criteria, and to help optimise the sustainable nature of the building, the avoidance of thermal bridging is a major consideration.

Isokorb range of thermal break modules 

Thermal bridging does not just result in heat and energy loss, condensation and mould growth can occur as well, which may lead to potential health and respiratory problems.   An efficient and widely used solution throughout Europe is the Isokorb range of thermal break modules from Schöck Ltd, which offers outstanding thermal insulation properties and dramatically reduces thermal energy loss in connective areas.  The range also transfers load and maintains full structural integrity, while at the same time enabling inner surface area temperatures to remain well in excess of those likely to cause mould formation and condensation.  

Latest generation type KS14 used for balconies

Canada Water Library has balconies on the south side of the building connected to the edge of the internal reinforced concrete slab and a series of platforms on both the south and east sides. In all cases the Schöck Isokorb used 
for connecting cantilevered steel components to reinforced concrete is the latest generation type KS14.  It has a very high load-bearing capacity in the bending moment, which means that even for conventional construction, the number of components required on site can be reduced, saving on expensive structural steel and valuable installation time.

Fully compliant with UK building regulations

Schöck Isokorb modules offer designers and engineers complete peace of mind, as all units meet full compliance with the relevant UK building regulations. The requirement described in BRE IP1/06 – a document cited in Building Regulations Approved Documents Part L1 and L2 and Section 6 in Scotland – that the temperature factor used to indicate condensation risk (fRSI) must be greater than, or equal to, 0.50 for public buildings, is easily met by incorporating the Isokorb.

Quite apart from its exceptional thermal performance ratings, the Schöck Isokorb range of modules allows connectivity between concrete-to-concrete, concrete-to-steel and steel-to-steel – and also provides BBA Certification and LABC Registration.

There is also compliance with the Government Standard Assessment Procedure, SAP 2012, concerning CO₂ emissions from buildings, and respectively heat losses through non-repeating thermal bridges. Here, the lambda values of the Schöck Isokorb enables energy loss through balconies, canopies and other cantilever parts of buildings to be reduced by as much as 84% to 91%.