West Midlands Safari Park chose the Kingspan TEK Building System to provide research and educational space that will have minimal impact on the site due to the lightweight system. Delivery partners Glosford SIPS pre-cut to specification 5000 m2 of the Kingspan TEK Building System in a 142 mm thickness.

“We needed to provide large teaching spaces within a quick construction period that would leave no footprint on the land if it was returned to grazing land in the future. The Kingspan TEK Building System was an obvious choice as it is low maintenance and lightweight. It also provided a well-insulated structure to help us meet Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM) compliance,” explained Richard Painter, director of Painter Architects.

Manufactured off-site, the building envelope was transported to the park and then craned into position above screw pile foundations. “With the installation having to be completed during the closed season, there had to be a quick turnaround. We have had lots of experience working with Kingspan though and the system is really quick – the entire envelope was up in two weeks! We also really enjoyed working alongside the Safari Park construction team and the wild animals too,” said Mike Fleming, director of Glosford SIPS.

For the design, the Kingspan TEK panels were clad with cedar and African art panels on the walls. Dark green corrugated tin sheeting was then added on the mono pitched roof to blend in with the landscape and fit the aesthetic of the park.

By erecting a Kingspan TEK Building System envelope, the project could accomplish ‘excellent’ levels of thermal performance by achieving U-values of 0.20 W/m2.K or better for the walls and roof. The insulated spline jointing detail, in combination with its OSB/3 facing bonded to a highly insulated core, was said to have ensured minimal thermal bridging through the insulation layer and resulted in a very airtight building shell which offered air permeability of less than 1 m3/hr.m2 at 50Pa. Once the system was sealed with a breather membrane, the entire structure became watertight.