Triotherm+ thermal brackets enter UK market

This article was originally published in issue 43 of Passive House Plus magazine. Want immediate access to all back issues and exclusive extra content? Click here to subscribe for as little as €15, or click here to receive the next issue free of charge

The highly load bearing brackets are made from expanded polystyrene and are certified by the Passive House Institute. Meesenburg’s UK regional manager Vladyslav Vasylenko said the Triotherm+ brackets are “designed to simplify thermal detailing around windows and doors, offering the same insulating value as mineral wool insulation.”

Vasylenko pointed out that the compacted profiles are made to measure and ready to use without cutting on site. “Triotherm+ forgives mistakes from installers,” he said. “It doesn’t require high end equipment to use it. It’s easy to apply – very straight forward.”

The products have broad applications for doors, windows, roof windows and skylights – including technically challenging applications such as large span glazing, sliding doors and curved windows.Vasylenko said that changes to Approved Document L mean that windows need to be installed in line with the insulation layer, as per the kind of practice that’s been part and parcel of the passive house standard for decades. In the case of applications such as external insulation systems, this means installing the window proud of the substrate – meaning the window should be bracketed off the wall, sitting in the insulation layer.

Given the relatively small surface area that a window bracket may represent, Vasylenko explains, it would be easy to falsely conclude that such junctions are insignificant. “It may have a small effect on energy efficiency by itself, but our elements play a very important role in stopping the house from failing,” said Vasylenko. This is because the absence of a thermally broken bracket may cause the dew point to occur at a vulnerable location in the construction, potentially reducing the lifespan of valuable building components, and leading to unnecessary repair, replacement, and redecoration.

In a sign of Meesenburg’s commitment to ensuring the broader sustainability of its products, Triotherm+ has achieved Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Silver Standard, resulting from a certification process that went through a total of five modules – material health, material cycle, renewable energy, water management and social responsibility.