Thin-joint walling reduces deadlines

Housebuilder Bellway East Mid-lands said it is beating construction deadlines by up to a third by using Tarmac Topblock's thin-joint walling product, Durox System.
Recently used in the construction of the showhome at its Earlswood development in Mansfield Woodhouse, Bellway said it is amazed how "quick, clean and effective it is".
Construction manager Paul Eastwood said: "We believe it's the future of modern construction. The system is helping us to meet homebuyer deadlines without compromising on quality. It really is a win-win situation for both the homebuyer and the builder and we plan to use it across our other new developments in the future."
The Durox System uses larger format blocks manufactured to very accurate dimensional tolerances, enabling them to be used with mortar joints of only 2mm-3mm thickness.
Durox project manager Brian Hewkin said: "As well as increased productivity, less waste and a high-quality, accurate finish, the Durox System also means less storage, mixing and handling of mortar because it uses 80% less mortar than conventional blockwork."
The key benefit is that it allows the inner leaf wall to be constructed first, allowing the roof to be installed to create a weatherproof envelope within days. This enables internal trades to work at the same time as bricklayers raise the external facing brickwork.
<F06E> Thin-joint technology specialist Clan Thin Joint is carrying out a six-month assessment programme in association with experts at Liverpool John Moores University to prove the effectiveness of thin-joint technology.
The tests aim to conclude that aircrete block walls can be built considerably above standard height in comparison to traditional mortars when using the thin-joint process. This will have a massive impact on cost and time.
Testing is at the interim stage and a full report on the findings will be published later this year.