External wall insulation (EWI) by Saint-Gobain Weber has been specified for a large mixed-use development within Barking town centre in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The development faces Abbey Green and the historic Barking Abbey, a former royal monastery originally established in the 7th century and described as ‘one of the most important nunneries in the country’.

The Barking regeneration scheme consists of a new supermarket, modern retail business units, a market square, town centre parking and 100 residential units. Focus has been placed on the integration of the scheme within its historic surroundings. Together David Miller Architects and planning specialists Chetwoods Architects selected a sympathetic and traditional palette of materials.

Working for main contractor Bouygues UK, the application of 1600m² of high performance weber.therm XM EWI system to the 100 apartments was carried out by insulated render specialists Clarke Facades.

In new build schemes, insulating the external wall can be combined with simple and reliable modern methods of construction, providing cost effective, fast-track build programmes and attractive facades. The ever-increasing thermal requirement of building regulations can be met and exceeded by using high performance weber.therm EWI systems.

The British Board of Agrément-certified and Energy Saving Trust-listed weber.therm XM EWI is a lightweight system that incorporates thin-coat polymer render with meshcloth reinforcement. It achieves highly efficient thermal performance, ideal for both refurbishment and new build projects. An impressive target U-value of 0.16W/m²K has been achieved in these apartments.

Chosen from an extensive range, the finishing colour of 'Winter White' has brought an attractive, contemporary appearance to the new apartments, creating a ‘warm wall’ which eliminates the risk of condensation, is highly resilient, durable and low maintenance.