The success of the innovative Durisol wall form system has prompted investment in a new UK manufacturing facility to keep pace with growing demand. The 90,000 sq ft factory in Crumlin, Gwent, can produce over two million wall units per shift and has extensive storage capacity for finished product prior to delivery. Introduced to the UK construction market last year, the Durisol System offers a fast and sustainable approach to wall forming which is fully Part L compliant. The System’s interlocking modular units are simply dry-stacked, with no need for mortar or bricklaying skills, and then filled with concrete to create solid walls with excellent thermal and sound insulation. Sales of the Durisol System have been rising month on month since the UK launch says John Flower, Durisol UK’s National Sales Manager, “The System is already proven around the world and is now generating huge interest from the public and private construction sectors over here - hence the need to step up our manufacturing capability. With the opening of our new factory, Durisol UK now has the capacity to satisfy current and projected demand.”
The Durisol wall form system is a totally ‘green’ building product in terms of its own manufacture and its contribution to a building’s energy efficiency rating. The wall units have very low embedded energy and are fully recyclable. No petrochemicals are used and there is no potential for off-gassing. The units are manufactured from at least 80% FSC recycled waste softwood bonded with a proprietary cement/PFA (Pulverised Fuel Ash) mix. The full range is produced in the Crumlin factory, including hollow wall units for internal and party wall forms, and two sizes of external wall form with integrated Rockwool mineral fibre insulation. The production process at Crumlin begins with the chipping of waste wood in a standard hammer mill. The chipped wood is then mineralised and mixed in a concrete batching plant to make a woodcrete mix. This is then transferred to a custom-made mobile block layer that stamps out the individual wall form units. The units are left to cold cure and once sufficiently hardened they are dimensioned by a purpose-built machine. The production processes used at the Crumlin factory complements the Durisol System’s green credentials, says John Flower, “Our main manufacturing material is recycled waste timber from local waste transfer stations and we’ve installed a rainwater harvesting system to collect water from the roof. Furthermore, no external heat is generated for curing purposes as we rely on the cement reaction to harden the blocks.”
As part of its continuing investment in the UK market, Durisol has launched a new website. Architects, specifiers and contractors can log on to www.durisol.net for more information about the company and its complete product range. The site provides instant access to the latest news and projects involving the Durisol System. It also features a Registered Users section where you can download any of Durisol’s product and technical literature, including a useful Building Guide and brochures covering topics such as thermal performance, material properties and advice on plasters and stuccos. Durisol and its licensees have been producing wood fibre and reinforced concrete products for over 50 years in Northern Europe and also in North America, Australia, Russia and the Pacific Rim. In addition to wall form products for building the company also has a portfolio of products and systems including noise barrier walls, retaining walls, and acoustic facings. For further information about Durisol in the UK visit www.durisol.net
