As longstanding members of the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), Akustak® actively supports their mission to radically improve the sustainability of the built environment; helping transform the way it is planned, designed, constructed, maintained, repurposed, & operated.
Designed for Sustainability & Circularity
The development of Akustak® was guided by WRAP's Designing out Waste: A design team guide for buildings, & the following 5 key principles:
1. Design for Reuse & Recovery: Akustak®, through its unique, demountable design, is fully reusable, whilst the following features facilitate a diversity of (re)applications:
Dimensional flexibility
High fire safety rating (UKAS-accredited)
Interchangeable fascias
Option for service penetrations
2. Design for Off-Site Construction: Akustak® modules are precision-engineered off-site, in the UK. This, in combination with their portability (measuring < 0.8 sq/m / 25 kg), radically reduces staff hours on-site, with systems assembled by one fitter (as per HSE guidelines), from 15 sq/m per hour.
3. Design for Materials Optimisation: Akustak’s constituent parts are dimensionally coordinated, as per the standard unit size of the materials they’re sourced from; minimising expendable off-cuts during manufacture & installation.
Example A: the Akustak® SoundBloc fascia is dimensionally coordinated with a 1200 x 2700 mm gypsum board, such that each sheet provides four facias, with an overall waste level of 0.74%.
Example B: Akustak’s internal cavity, across the product range, is dimensionally coordinated with a 600 x 1200 mm insulation slab, with an overall waste level of 0%.
4. Design for Waste Efficient Procurement: Akustak® was designed to mitigate waste generation on-site. It serves as a resource efficient alternative to a construction industry staple: the timber stud wall.
Timber stud wall construction is innately wasteful, particularly in its propensity to generate unusable off-cuts.
Example: where studs are set at 600 mm centres (for compatibility with standard 1200 x 2400 mm gypsum boards), this reduces the cavity width (between studs) to c.555 mm. As such, standard 600 x 1200 mm cavity insulation slabs need to be trimmed to fit, resulting in a c.45 x 1200 mm off-cut, and, potentially, an overall waste level of c.7.5%.
Akustak®, through dimensional coordination, eliminates such incompatibilities between component parts, whilst its modularity minimises on-site errors & re-work; a further cause of considerable waste.
5. Design for Deconstruction & Flexibility: See Design for Reuse & Recovery and Design for Off Site-Construction.
Additionally, Akustak's simple method of (dis)assembly, makes deconstruction & flexibility a more feasible outcome, even when the connection between the original client/designer & the ultimate beneficiary becomes very remote, for example, when buildings are sold & re-sold over time.
Akustak®: Minimising its Contribution to Climate Change
Akustak® takes the following action to minimise its environmental impact:
100% made in Britain.
Component parts all sourced from suppliers located in the South-East of England, &, where possible, within a 10-mile radius of the manufacturing hub.
Component parts all dimensionally coordinated; making the manufacturing process an assembly of parts, with no requirement for mains powered machinery, i.e., hand tools only.
Component parts all mechanically fixed, with no requirement for adhesives.
Orders delivered to site through vehicle-sharing networks, e.g., Zip Car.
Akustak®: Future Sustainability Goals
Akustak® is committed to continuously improving its sustainability practices. Plans include:
Laboratory testing of more sustainable module configurations & component parts, e.g., sheep's wool insulation.
Obtaining an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), through the Building Research Establishment (BRE).
Achieving Cradle to Cradle certification, through the Products Innovation Institute.
