SIPS Panels

SIPs can be manufactured to any architectural design. Because the SIPs are manufactured to spec, there is nearly zero waste on the jobsite and labor is reduced significantly. Labor time savings range from 30-40%. SIPs make inside finish work easier to complete; drywall goes up fast and cabinets are quickly attached directly into the SIP facing. 

To read about the new Redford Sundance Conference Center, where SIPs where chosen to frame and insulate the building click here 

Info from StreetInsider.com

Thermal Bridge

A thermal bridge, also called a cold bridge, is a fundamental of heat transfer where a penetration of the insulation layer by a highly conductive or noninsulating material takes place in the separation between the interior and exterior environments of a building assembly (also known as the building enclosure, building envelope, or thermal envelope).
Thermal bridging is created when materials that are poor thermal insulators come into contact, allowing heat to flow through the path of least thermal resistance, although nearby layers of material separated by airspace allow little heat transfer.
Insulation around a bridge is of little help in preventing heat loss or gain due to thermal bridging; the bridging has to be eliminated, rebuilt with a reduced cross-section or with materials that have better insulating properties, or with a section of material with low thermal conductivity installed between metal components to retard the passage of heat through a wall or window assembly, called a thermal break.

Excerpts from article from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Students Visit SIPs Factory

Recently a group of City & Guilds Joinery students where given the opportunity to visit SIPs Industries UK in Dalgety Bay, Fife. The students were met on arrival by Grant Stewart and given a presentation showing how SIP panels are constructed. After this, the students were taken by Grant into the workshop and given the opportunity to observe the SIP panel construction process at first hand. The manufacturing process for SIPs panels consumes very little energy, reducing the manufacturing carbon footprint. One City & Guilds student was quoted saying, "I can see the potential this system has over traditional building methods." Ease of construction on site also reduces the building's impact on the environment. The finished building proves that the more thermally efficient the building is, the lower the cost to heat it will be. With rising energy costs, thermal efficiency is becoming more important in construction, giving this type of construction a competitive edge.

Article in Construction Engineering News, Border College, Issue 01, Summer 2012

From Mother Earth News

As the Earth’s resources are depleted, another aspect of green building that is becoming important is the use of more effective insulating materials, such as SIPS, concrete, low-emissivity glass and passive solar design, to cut down on the amount of energy needed to heat and cool our homes.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Green-Homes

New deal on new build properties

UK housing minister Grant Shapps has recently hailed a new partnership between the government and the National House Building Council to gain a greater insight into how efforts to get Britain building again are making a difference.

You can read the full article on International Business Times

From the Archives

Another one from the archives today: this SIPs Industries build was featured in Homebuilding and Renovating magazine in 2005. 

SIPS panels allowed the clients to have open plan living spaces with full height ceilings and no visible supports helping to give the house clean, uncluttered lines.

The full article is here: http://www.homebuilding.co.uk/your-projects/riverside-eco-home

Barn Conversion

This SIPs Industries barn conversion is featured in a seven page article and photoshoot in the Autumn/Winter edition of New Home Locations Scotland.

We supplied the panels for this build back in 2008.  The SIPs panels fit inside the original walls to provide a full thermal envelope, including the roof. 

Articles

This SIPs Industries build is featured in the November 2011 issue of Self Build & Design magazine.

SIPs Industries provided the kit for the build in 2007, and we are delighted that it has made the front cover of the magazine.

Build Cost Calculator

Homebuilding and Renovating has published a Self Build Project Cost Guide, which provides guidance on working out a ball park figure for your project.  You can see the full article here.

 

Self Build Action Plan

A new report has been drawn up by representatives of the self-build industry in the UK which highlights the main challenges faced by the current self-build industry.  The report concludes that the current market needs to be made more accessible, with a well managed network of advice, case studies and reliable sources of information.

You can read the full report - 'An action plan to promote the growth of self build housing (The report of the Self Build Government-industry Working Group: July 2011)' -  here (PDF).

Completed Projects

A completed SIPs Industries project has been featured in the Mail on Sunday.  SIPs Industries provided this kit in 2007.

The article was printed on the 14th August 2011.  The article highlights the insulating properties of the SIPs kit, quoting the client as saying "Last winter we were snowed in for three days and the area's electricity was cut off but we were still cosy because the house is so well insulated."

To read the full article, click on the image and it will go to full size.  Alternatively, you can read the article online here.

Completed Projects

We provided the SIPS kit for this project in Fife in 2007.  The project was finished using pan tiles and reclaimed stone, combining the benefits of modern SIPS technology with a traditional aesthetic. 

The project was featured in The Scotsman New Homes supplement on 25 Spetember 2008.

In the News

There's an interesting blog post by Al Cobb of the SIPSchool in the US about the importance of the installation team in ensuring that the SIPs kit functions as it is supposed to. 

You can read the full blog post here.

From the Archives

This is the 100th post on this blog!  Another project from the archives today.

We provided the kit for this project for Allan Murray Architects in 2009.  The contemporary flat roofed design is a replacement for a poorly insulated bungalow which had been constructed from prefabricated concrete panels.  The contemporary style of the building both contrasts and compliments the traditional style of neighbouring Victorian buildings.

By using SIPs Industries panels, the clients were able to achieve the roof spans necessary for the large living areas, particularly on the ground floor.  The combination of SIPs Industries panels with highly efficient door and windows, the clients were able to achieve an overall U-value of 0.15W/m2kg for the final build.

The project was shortlisted for a RIBA award in 2010.  The project is also featured in several online articles.

From the Archives

Another project from the archives today.  SIPs Industries provided the kit for this project back in 2003. 

The build was featured in Homebuilding and Renovating Magazine in October 2005.  The full article, along with images of the completed build, can still be found online here.

From the Archives

A SIPs Industries project from the archives today.  We provided the SIPs kit for this one and a half storey house near Edinburgh back in 2002. 

During installation

Photograph by Gibb Photography

The house replaced a poorly insulated 1950's bungalow, and encapsulates the room in the roof concept for which SIPs is ideally suited.

Room in the Roof

The build was featured in this article in Homebuilding and Renovating Magazine in October 2007.

In the News

One of the big advatages of using SIPs is that the panels are manufactured and cut to size in a fatory setting; this allows for minimal wastage of materials, both during the manufacturing of the kit and on site.

The advantages of this waste reduction are detailed in this article on a SIPs Industries Australia project, first published in the Weekend West Australian Homes section on the 14th May 2011.

SIPs Australia

Check out this article on a completed project carried out by SIPs Australia. 

National Homebuilding and Renovating Show

Check out the article we had on Page 93 of the National HB&R Show showguide.