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| 31/07/2009 |
Housing Inventions Nominated For Industry Oscar |
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 Building experts at Edinburgh Napier are celebrating after two of their inventions were nominated for a prestigious industry award.
Wallcap – a membrane which reduces heat loss in buildings and improves sound insulation by sealing wall cavities – has been named in the Housebuilding Innovation Awards' product of the year category. A second product, Bridgestop, which can reduce substructure costs by up to 18%, was also nominated.
Last year researchers successfully licensed Wallcap to Icopal, one of the world's leading membrane manufacturers, following a Proof of Concept funding award from Scottish Enterprise.
Both products have now beaten off stiff competition to make a shortlist of six for November's Innovation Awards ceremony – the UK house-building industry's equivalent of the Oscars.
Professor Sean Smith of the Building Performance Centre at Edinburgh Napier led the project team behind the cutting-edge inventions.
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The Wallcap invention also comes at an important time, he added.
"In 2010 new legislation will require this specific heat loss mechanism to be addressed. Up to 20% of a building’s heat is lost through wall cavities so it was extremely important that a solution was developed.
"We are naturally very proud that it is the first product to market with a multi-function solution. This product and the team's output are typical of Edinburgh Napier’s leading edge research and knowledge transfer with industry."
Both nominated products are made by Monarfloor, a sub division of Icopal UK based in Cumbernauld and Manchester. Fife-based Cullen Building Products have also benefited from the project by manufacturing the specialist connectors which fix the membrane.
The invention was developed and tested in a unique building performance test facility in Fife called Hangar 17, the only facility of its kind in the UK. Edinburgh Napier University is the academic Research & Development partner for the facility and, alongside several companies, is currently trialling a number of new products for launch in 2010.
The Housebuilder Innovation Award winners will be announced in London on November 5.
(GK/BMcc) |
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