Therma TR27
Flat roof insulation for beneath fully adhered waterproofing systems
LOCATIONAbu Dhabi, UAE
ProductsTherma TR27
The museum was born out of an intergovernmental agreement between Abu Dhabi and France and is only the second in the Louvre family to be built. Situated just 500 metres from the Saadiyat Island coast, U.A.E., Louvre Abu Dhabi is the latest project to benefit from Kingspan Insulation’s range of high-performance roofing products.
Appointed architects Jean Nouvel designed a museum that combined regional traditions with modern architecture, with the aim of bringing a universal museum to life. During 2012, Architects at Jean Nouvel were tasked to pull together the architectural envelope specification for Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Our Solution:
The building’s flat roof was to utilise a build-up comprising a membrane system with Polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation and a vapour barrier over the concrete deck. The PIR insulation was detailed to be an FM approved, high-performance rigid thermoset PIR insulation core faced on both sides with a coated glass tissue. To comply with Estidama regulations, it should also be manufactured with a blowing agent that has zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and low Global Warming Potential (GWP). The only flat roofing insulation available in the local market to wholely match this specification was Kingspan Therma TR27.
Similarly to its sister, Musée du Louvre, the roof of Louvre Abu Dhabi is the feature most recognisable by its visitors. As such, heavy emphasis within the specification was also placed upon quality assurance and a guarantee for the roofing system. Kingspan Insulation LLC was able to provide this for the insulation, as Kingspan Therma TR27 is manufactured to the highest standards under a management system certified to ISO: 9001:2008 (Quality management systems. Requirements).
The U-value for the roof was above the Estidama regulation of 0.30 W/m2.K, at 0.21 W/m2.K, and was easily achieved through the use of 110 mm Kingspan Therma TR27.
Sections of the flat roof were required to be landscaped with crushed stone laid within screed, a feature aimed to represent Arabian architecture and control light and temperature within the building. This called for an additional specification — the roofing system was to be overlaid with a polystyrene insulation, which would create a platform for the feature and subsequently would need to hold the weight of the crushed stone. To achieve this, 280 mm thick Kingspan GreenGuard GG300 was installed. The final U-value for the roof in these areas reached 0.08 W/m2.K, which far exceeds the regulations stipulated in Abu Dhabi.
Kingspan GreenGuard GG300 is a high-performance rigid extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulant, which is manufactured using a blowing agent that has zero ODP and low GWP, again complying with the requirements of Estidama. It has a compressive strength of 300 kPa, and therefore, could certainly take the weight of the proposed roof build-up.
Products Used in this Project
Find out more about the products used in this project below.