SIPFIT – Delivering Solutions To Meet The Low Carbon Challenge

Sipfit, based in Warrenpoint, was formed to meet the need for environmentally friendly construction driven by UK legislation, the Low Carbon Transition Plan (LCTP), as well as international protocols such as Kyoto which are leading legislation worldwide.

This body of legislation has put in place a defined timeframe to ‘zero carbon’ in 2016 in the UK. This is creating the biggest change in the construction market and the built environment in many years.

The LCTP is the business plan for construction over the next 40 years and will drive growth in this sector as the industry has to adhere to these new regulations. Sipfit has been at the vanguard of delivering proven solutions that adhere to and exceed the new and impending Building Regulations.

Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) are a composite panel that provide superior insulation and air tightness combined with a light weight structural frame. Sipfit’s panels are bonded in a press and form a beam.

Certification and accreditations are crucially important from a risk and performance perspective as there are many closed panel systems claiming to be Sips when they are not so and there are also some uncertified SIP systems.

Sipfit’s system has BBA, ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environmental), ISO 18001 (Health & Safety) and multiple awards.

The firm’s typical build process sees them engage with the client and share their National Buildings Specification, Design Guide, Standard Details and portfolio of prove test data as appropriate. The Sipfit design team convert plans to SIP friendly design that is production-ready and structurally certified.

Sipfit offer both large format kit type structures and turn-key volumetric modular solutions. Whether large format or modular, they espouse a simple message through a “fabric first” build methodology.

This means the building envelope is constructed in a well insulated manner and it has to be air-tight to prevent heat loss. It doesn’t make sense to generate new energy from a renewable source if it is largely lost through an energy inefficient building.

The company engages with stakeholders to develop a bespoke optimal delivery programme as scheduling and inter-dependencies can be planned better in off-site factory controlled conditions.

Programmes are usually shorter as Sipfit were not subject to weather interference and can measure / test outputs in a quality controlled environment 24/7 as projects progress.

Their off-site production is engineered to exacting dimensions and standards that are not achievable on-site. This allows specific build performance to meet the most challenging performance benchmarks.

Sipfit pride themselves in marketleading air-tightness results and exemplar U Values, Y Values and Psi Values. Their ability to manufacture in factory quality controlled conditions leads to improved Health & Safety, reduced waste and reduced logistics. The ability to deliver a turn-key room to site eliminates fire risk on site.

The primary challenge facing the sector is the evidential gap between claimed design performance and actual “as built” performance. Sipfit eliminate that risk with their accreditations, technical library and proven performance.

They have manufactured a Carbon Zero store for Tesco, Northern Ireland’s first certified Passive private house, A Rated energy buildings and Scottish Gold Standard unit for the new BRE Innovation Park.