ARCHIMEDE INSTITUTE


RIGID INSULATION IS EMINENTLY SUSTAINABLE


Rigid urethane insulation has been used in the building and construction industries since the 1950’s. Over the past 40 years, in excess of 500 million square metres of insulated panels have been manufactured by the continuous lamination process and have been successfully used in roof and wall cladding applications worldwide.

The superior long term performance of metal faced insulated panels with rigid urethane cores is now widely recognised by building investors and designers when compared with site assembled, multi-part, built-up cladding systems. This has resulted in significant growth for this type of construction system.


The main reasons for this growth are:

  • Increasingly stringent building regulations, which in many countries require the use of insulation to comply with energy efficiency and CO2 emission targets.
  • The rising cost of fuel and energy. Effective thermal insulation can reduce HVAC / heating costs by up to 40% wherever it is installed.
  • The environmental cost of energy production is also a factor which now needs to be considered. The burning of fossil fuels for energy production is estimated to contribute 80% of the world’s CO2emissions. These green-house gases contribute to the problem of global warming, and so the conservation of energy is the most direct and cheap way to reduce CO2 emissions and thus control global warming.
  • Industry experts estimate that worldwide insulation of buildings to optimum standards could reduce global energy requirements by more than 10%.
  • Rapid site assembly and early completion of a building project is demanded by investors and insulated sandwich panels provide ‘single fix’ fast on-site installation.




  • Investors require superior specification, low maintenance and long-term product performance.