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Energy-Efficient Insulated Panels – Fire Rated ACPS at Kochi Smart City

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The hot and humid weather of the Indian subcontinent is inspiring a growing number of architects to opt for building insulation. High standards of thermal insulation offer a practical and cost effective means of reducing electricity consumption. Smart City, Kochi is one such project where Aludecor ACPs have been used to manufacture sandwiched insulation panels keeping in mind the coastal climate.

Smart City is a joint venture IT project between TEECOM (Dubai Holdings) and the Government of Kerala. The building has been designed by B&H Architects from Vancouver. Reachable by boat and road, Smart City has vast common areas and greenery. Aludecor fire rated ACPs have been used by Sherbrooke Aluminium Products to manufacture sandwiched insulated panels for the façade and the skylight.

The walls of this LEED Platinum rated IT building complex are cladded with double glazed high performance glass and aluminium composite panels with a 75mm insulating layer of extruded polystyrene (XPS) rigid foam insulation in between.

Also, the skylight is designed in a way so that it has enough illumination for the lobby and almost 75 percent direct heat and glare is avoided to the main IT Park lobby below.

Initially, the architects planned to use steel for the insulation panels, but later settled for ACP since it fares better in coastal climate than steel. Owing to its lightweight, ACP has an added advantage over other building materials used for cladding.

There is a host of economic benefits of building insulation. A few of them are as follows:

• 70% to 80% energy loss is through façade. Hence insulated façades will save up energy consumption and eventually result in lower electricity bills
• Insulation reduces the heating and cooling costs by 20% to 30%
• Cost of insulation is not more than 1% to 3% of the total property value and lasts life long without any maintenance.

Building insulation has got environmental benefits too. Energy consumption in building segment is rising at a faster rate due to rapid urbanization. In India, buildings account for 10% of total greenhouse gas emission. Insulation has immediate impact on reducing total energy demand and reducing
greenhouse gas emission.

Properly insulated buildings render to comfortable and healthy living by controlling temperature and noise level. With new technology and innovation that is shaping the modern Indian architecture, Aludecor ACPs can be an excellent option for sandwiched insulation panel.

Details courtesy: Koshey K Cherian, Managing Partner, Sherbrooke
Aluminium Products

QUICK FACTS

Project: Smart City, Kochi
Location: Kochi, Kerala
Architect: B+H
Façade Consultant: Synergy
Fabricator: Sherbrooke Aluminium Products
Façade Material: ACP: AL45 Aludecor Firewall (Fire Rated ACP)
Speciality of the Project: LEED Platinum Rated Smart City, IT Building Complex, Kochi