Quality aged and healthcare design is centred around maximising resident, patient, and staff wellbeing.

Such designs move away from outdated institutional models to create a more welcoming environment. This supports residents' and patients' quality of life.

An important consideration in aged and healthcare design is thermal comfort. In aged care settings, this is especially important as older people find it difficult to cope with temperature extremes. Well-insulated buildings also offer better noise control and create a more peaceful living environment.

In healthcare settings effective thermal insulation helps shape the conditions for positive patient outcomes while also playing an important role in creating a more comfortable, safe, and productive workplace for hospital staff.

Effective roof insulation is therefore an important consideration in aged and health care design. It also plays an important role in condensation control and adds a fire-resistant layer. Ultimately it is a sustainable choice by reducing energy demands through passive cooling and warming.

When the Alan Walker Care Centre for Oncology outpatients at Royal Darwin Hospital was upgraded for example, roof insulation was used to provide patients and staff with thermal comfort amidst Darwin’s humid climate.

To achieve high and sustainable thermal performance as well as condensation control the architects’ specified products from Fletcher Insulation, a provider of energy efficient and acoustic solutions. The products selected and installed for the roof design included the 75mm Permastop Building Blanket, the Sisalation Metal Roof Sarking and a heavy-duty paper base foil on the roof.

Pink in colour and manufactured from up to 80% recycled glass, Permastop Building Blanket delivers excellent thermal and acoustic benefits plus condensation protection. The blanket absorbs less than 0.2% moisture by volume when exposed to environmental conditions of 50˚ Celsius and 95% relative humidity for four days and, with foil facing applied to the substrate, it can perform with a surface temperature of up to 70° C.

In addition, the Sisalation reflective foil component of the Permastop Building Blanket minimises the risk of condensation forming in the building’s metal clad roof. The paper-based laminate in the Sisalation ensures the product is not prone to shrinkage caused by heat and therefore better maintains its performance in managing condensation.

Used together, the two products more than meet the requirements of Darwin, where the temperature remains consistently around 30° Celsius during the warmest months. They shield the building from water related weather damage, such as mould, and rot and minimises the effects of heat and dust draughts.

Palmerston-based roofing services provider, Roof Power, was responsible for installing the roofing. Roof Power Director Jason Power said it was worth noting that the Sisalation Facing Foil Heavy Duty Perforated was attached to the underside of the blanket, with Sisalation Metal Roof Heavy Duty 453 laid on top of the blanket, directly below the roofing for the water barrier. While this is still quite an unusual technique, it is one that is being used more frequently, particularly on Northern Territory Government projects.

According to Jason, it is a clever way to increase acoustic and condensation protection. He explained that in his experience, the foil-paper composition of Sisalation Metal Roof Sarking reduces the risk of “noisy roof syndrome”, a problem that often affects metal roofs. Combined, the Permastop and the Sisalation maximise acoustic protection and ensure patients are not bothered by the heavy rain that the Top End’s wet season inevitably delivers.

Executive General Manager of Bondor Metecno Group Geoff Marsdon says Bondor’s insulated panel roof systems offer an elegant and efficient solution for aged and health care facilities.

“Insulated roof panels which have exterior facings of steel adhered to an insulating core material offer a range of advantages over traditional systems, such as superior insulating performance. The insulation does not sag, crumble or deteriorate over time,” he says.

“An insulated roof panel replaces several traditional construction materials such as trusses, insulation, ceiling, and exterior cladding. This means a quicker build time and less products and waste on site”.

Good thermal design helps to maintain a consistent indoor temperature throughout the aged and health care facilities by minimising heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. This creates a more comfortable living environment for residents and patients, and ultimately better health outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the elderly or those with compromised immune systems.

Bondor offers the thermal roofing solution MetecnoSpan which is CodeMark certified, FM Approved and carries a Global Green Tag, GreenRate Level A, making specification and certification easier and may contribute to the builder/owner to achieve a Green Star rating.

“MetecnoSpan insulated roofing system combines the roofing, insulation and ceiling in one structural roof panel with a high thermal performance with R values up to R4.55, offering aged and health care facilities superior energy efficient performance to reduce operational costs over the life of the building,” Marsdon explains.

“It delivers improved thermal comfort for patients, visitors and staff for aged and health care applications. As a single component system, it reduces site installation time and the number of purlins required, delivering savings in steel structure”.

With a long span of up to 20m, MetecnoSpan enables builders to install more square metres per day, helping to meet tight installation timelines.

According to Marsdon, MetecnoSpan can also reduce the overall cost of the project due to its quicker installation time and reduced waste in comparison to conventional roofing systems and its unique design. The interior finishing on MetecnoSpan panels eliminates the need for a secondary suspended ceiling providing a cost effective and attractive finish with faster handover.

The roofing is made to last, and manufactured in Australia and includes Australian-made BlueScope COLORBOND steel.

About 6000m2 of MetecnoSpan was used across the roofing of the Osborne Park Hospital in Western Australia. The client required air tightness, dust free and speed of build. They also had a lack of space to accommodate a built-up system, so Bondor Metecno’s all-in-one MetecnoSpan insulated roofing system worked perfectly.

Kingspan Insulated Panels also champions roof insulation to help maintain a stable indoor temperature, contributing to the comfort and wellbeing of residents and patients while reducing energy costs.

Kingspan offer a wide variety of easy-to-fit, low-maintenance, high-performing insulated roof panel systems suitable for aged and health care facilities such as the JI Vulcasteel Roof Panel, a trapezoidal roof panel system with high density non-combustible stone wool core offering excellent fire resistance, acoustics, and energy.

According to Kingspan, the panel design means easy disassembly and recycling, helping to cut down on construction waste. The environmental benefits of thermal insulation don’t end there with the high R-values enhancing energy efficiency by reducing the need for excessive heating and cooling, lowering overall energy consumption.

The panel manufacturing process uses environmentally friendly materials and techniques, reducing the overall carbon footprint and the panels themselves undergo lifecycle assessment (LCA), accounting for all significant environmental impacts, including water, air, land, and climate change effects.

Technical Manager at Ametalin Craig Lumsden says when examining best practices for aged care design it is particularly important to consider the needs of less mobile individuals.

“In such living environments, fire prevention, smoke containment and safety are critical; ensuring occupants can evacuate orderly, quickly and safely is a priority,” he says.

“A suitable roofing system for aged care would include a pitched, attic-style roof. For instance, a non-combustible steel frame could incorporate near or non-combustible membranes, thermal break strips or thermal break cavity drainage battens. Additionally, a ceiling with insulation between rafters and non-combustible thermal mitigation on top of that,” he says.

Ametalin has several thermal roof insulation offerings, including vapour permeable reflective membranes to support patients’ and residents’ health, safety and comfort while providing condensation management and energy efficiency.

Lumsden points out that Energy efficiency measures, such as air barriers, can be implemented relatively cheaply. And, by adding reflective surfaces in applicable areas of the building envelope, whether internal or external, you can enhance and add to the system's R-value and sustainability.

“These designs act as air barriers and provide essential control, conserving energy and achieving enhanced sustainable building design,” he says.

“Sustainability is primarily enhanced through energy savings. The embodied energy per square meter over several years is relatively low, making it very sustainable. These are not single-use plastics products, but continuous products designed for the building's lifespan. With a footprint of less than a millimetre thick, they offer significant enhancement and longevity, making them economical”.

Ametalin CeaseFire is one such product that could be used to achieve these goals in an aged and health care setting as it is an advanced vapour permeable wall and roof membrane designed specifically as a non-combustible pliable building membrane.

Classified as Class 4 Vapour Permeable, the advanced hydrophobic infusion blocks liquid water and air movement while allowing water vapour diffusion through the wall structure. Ametalin CeaseFire also contributes to a well-sealed building for maximum energy efficiency. The E-Glass weave provides an Extra Heavy Duty and is not deemed combustible.

Selecting quality roof insulation when designing aged and health care facilities is an excellent way of maintaining a more peaceful and thermally efficient indoor environment for residents, patients, and staff.

Additionally, it reduces energy costs and prevents excessive emissions.

Image: Ametalin CeaseFire can be used in an aged and health care setting as it is an advanced vapour permeable wall and roof membrane designed specifically as a non-combustible pliable building membrane. / Ametalin

Suppliers

Fletcher Insulation

Bondor-Metecno

Kingspan Insulated Panels

Ametalin

Nathalie Craig

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