Tarmac Building Products manufactures the right floor for every application. Our flooring types are all leaders in their own markets. And this means you can get the best solution for each floor of every building from one single supplier.
Thermal insulation:
All of our flooring products have good thermal insulation properties which combined with added insulation can meet the requirements of Part 'L' of the Building Regulations. We have also recently launched our next generation of insulated flooring, Heatsave Plus that enables builders to surpass requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations by achieving U-values of as low as 0.18 W/M2K. Why not ask us about Heatsave Plus Platinum to go that extra mile!
Resistance to the passage of sound:
All of our flooring products have excellent sound insulation properties that can comply with the Robust Details Specification of the Building Regulations.
Fire resistant:
The non-combustible properties of our range of products mean that most constructions will surpass the requirements of the Building Regulations.
High loadbearing:
A wide range of strengths and spans are available to cater for the requirements of general housing and other buildings.
Cost-effective:
All concrete flooring products can offer cost-effective building methods.
Masonry solution:
Concrete flooring products offer proven, risk free and familiar building methods.
Availablity:
Topfloor's products are widely and readily available anywhere in the UK and Ireland.
Recyclable:
All of our flooring products are recyclable. Talk to us about the recycled content of our concrete.
Surface finishes:
All of our flooring products offer an ideal surface for drylining, plaster, render and fixings. Due to the high quality finish of our products, more and more buildings are using an exposed soffit to maximise the benefits of the thermal mass of the floor. All stairs are available in Type A,B & C surface finishes.
Sustainability
Concrete is one of the most versatile, durable and cost-effective building materials known to man. It is also environmentally sustainable, with green credentials that outperform both steel and timber.
When considering the cradle-to-cradle impact of a building material - extraction, processing, construction, operation, demolition and recycling - concrete makes a significant contribution to the triple bottom line of sustainable development (Environmental, Social and Economic).
Environmental benefits of concrete
- thermal mass of concrete contributes to operating energy efficiency and reduced cooling costs
- longer lasting structures - reducing energy needs for maintenance and reconstruction
- made-to-order concrete means less construction waste
- no need for additional interior or exterior finishes
- light reflectance - light coloured walls reduce interior lighting requirement
- a well designed concrete building that takes advantage of long floor spans with column-free space is adaptable to a variety of occupants
- reduced transport costs as concrete is produced in the UK
- embodied energy is 'heavy' materials
- used concrete can be 100% recycled as aggregate for use in roadbeds or as a granular material (see www.tarmac.co.uk/recycling for further information)
- concrete is a small net contributor to greenhouse gases responsible for 2.6% of UK CO2 emissions in 2002. This compares with 33% of total CO2 emissions from transport and 47% from buildings in use.
Social benefits of concrete
- improved indoor air quality
- no toxic or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from concrete that contribute to sick building syndrome
- polished concrete floors do not require carpet finishes
- exposed concrete does not need to be painted
- concrete does not sustain mould growth
- Safety - fire (concrete is completely non-combustible, wind, vibration, sound transmission, seismic resistant and flood resistant.
Economic benefits of concrete
- low transportation costs as concrete is produced in the UK
- cost-effective and highly competitive building material
- less maintenance
- lower operating costs - thermal mass characteristics help to moderate heating and cooling peaks and lower HVAC equipment requirements
- lower lighting costs due to reflectance of material
- energy consumption in commercial and residential buildings can be reduced by up to 50%
- resistant to wear and tear, severe weather, rot, insects and fire
- buildings last longer so don't need to factor in the cost of rebuilding
Some information provided by The Concrete Centre, an independent central development organisation for the UK cement and concrete industry - http://www.concretecentre.com/
Information also provided by British Precast,Concrete Federation (BPCF), the trade association of precast concrete manufacturers - http://www.britishprecast.org/
Fire resistance
Concrete is completely non-combustible and outperform both steel and timber in any test. It does not burn, it cannot be 'set on fire' like other materials in a building and it does not emit any toxic fumes, smoke or drip molten particles when exposed to fire.
Concrete and its mineral constituents enjoy the highest fire resistance classificatioin (class A1) under EN 13501-1.
The excellent fire performance is due in the main to concrete's constituent materials (ie, cement and aggregates) which, when chemically combined, form a material that is essentially inert and has poor thermal conductivity. It is this slow rate of heat transfer that enables concrete to act as an effective fire shield not only between adjacent spaces but also to protect itself from fire damage.
For any building or structure, regardless of its complexity, design for fire safety should address the following four principal objectives:
- to ensure stability of the loadbearing construction elements over a specific period of time
- to limit the generation and spread of fire and smoke
- to assist the evacuation of occupants and ensure the safety of rescue teams
- to facilitate the intervention of fire fighters and other rescue parties
Good practice in design for fire safety incorporates these aspects and more in what is termed 'fire engineering' for large, complex structures that warrant additional design effort. Although prescribed data (such as dimensions for thickness and cover) may be used, the aim of fire engineered structures is to move away from the traditional methods and create a fire strategy dedicated to the project in hand, based on the building's design, how it will be used, fuel load and the probability of a fire occurring. For this reason, computer software is used to perform a probability analysis of the behaviour of both fire and people.
From a whole building standpoint, concrete can satisfy the four principal objectives of fire safety through its inherent fire resistance and the utilisation of its structural continuity in fire engineered design.
Information provided by The Concrete Centre http://www.concretecentre.com/
Click to view our range of concrete flooring.
