Insulated Garden Buildings
Here at Qube, we are focused on using sustainably sourced, high performance materials to deliver well insulated garden studios. Decades of research and development have contributed to producing the superior insulating foam core we use in our Bio-SIP’s today, making our composite panels the smarter choice in modular construction.
What are the benefits of Bio-SIP systems?
Built-in insulation
The Bio-SIP’s foam core is extremely lightweight and delivers superior thermal performance, developed using 100% recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) as the raw material base. This innovative and clever material delivers significant CO2 emission savings across its life span, helping to protect the environment long term, as well as immediately benefiting our customers with cost savings on heating. For this reason, Qube’s Bio-SIP’s are the smarter choice for use in constructing and insulating your garden studio. Our Bio-SIP’s ensure your space stays warm and comfortable throughout even the coldest winter months, requiring only minimal heating to achieve and maintain an optimal temperature.
In fact, similar technology is used in the commercial refrigeration industry, which makes use of the same sophisticated engineering and materials we utilise in our Bio-SIP’s. The internal foam core structure works by keeping cold and warm air separate, preventing thermal transfer or heat loss from occurring. This is achieved by tiny air-filled pockets known as closed-cells, created during the manufacture of the foam, which prevent thermal exchange from happening. It is this clever technology that means your laptop can be left out on a hot summer’s day and won’t overheat, and you won’t be needing that extra jumper on a cold December morning either!
The power of plastic
The PET foam core used in our composite panels is derived from plastic in the form of recycled drinks bottles, which would otherwise be headed for landfill. After collection, the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles are sorted and crushed down to form flakes. This is then followed by a granulation process and lastly, extrusion foaming. This newly formed material is much stronger compared to other types of foam, which is less able to withstand weight- loading and can weaken. It is also more rigid and importantly, water resistant, owing to its plastic properties. This combination of factors alone, means the recycled plastic core we use in our Bio-SIP systems is extremely well suited for use in garden studios both big and small, and by recycling material in this way, a significant amount of plastic is prevented from ending up in landfill.
The insulation used in our Bio-SIP system sits between two exterior boards, which are bonded to the core. These are made using natural, organic materials such as flax fibres, which are then mixed with bio resin to form a strong and watertight exterior, whilst contributing very little weight to the overall product. In industry flax fibre is used for the production of tarpaulin, sailcloth, driving belts, hoses and fishing nets owing to its strength and resistance to water. Flax tow, which is the coarse, broken fibre removed during processing flax, hemp, or jute and separated from the shives, finds application in the wider building industry as a heat-insulating material. Used in construction materials it appears to be a great energy and fuel saver. The flax woody portion, known as the shives, is used for the production of boards and blocks, making it a useful and versatile building material, which can be sustainably grown and produced time and time again. Additionally, flax and other plants used in construction serve to remove CO2 from the air, trapping it inside every living cell of the plant. The more plants grown, the more CO2 is removed from our atmosphere. Therefore, Qube’s Bio-SIP systems are not only an innovative and sustainably made construction material, they also seek to improve our environment for the future, removing carbon from our atmosphere.
Bio-SIP systems are recyclable too! Our garden studios can be easily dismantled and the panels can then be repurposed for other use in other buildings and constructions. We don’t use glue in the process of building our garden studios, and so all components of the studio can be reused and repurposed. What an exciting prospect for the future of our planet!
