Kingspan insulated roofing panels have received overwhelmingly positive accolades from industry players in manufacturing, education and retail. Their use in these sectors have revolutionised best practice, by setting new benchmarks in efficient and sustainable building construction.

Kingspan panels are manufactured in Australia and produced in the full BlueScope Colorbond® range of colours and finishes. Kingspan’s range of insulated roof panels are pre engineered, single fix ‘Sandwich’ panel systems. The panels comprise a high performance external steel weather sheet, bonded to a rigid FM Approved PIR (Polyisocyanurate) core which is prefinished, with a light reflective internal liner.

An all-in-one package, the benefits of the sandwich panel systems flow from the engineered joints the provide absolute weather tightness, the single fix installation that makes for efficient installation and the PIR insulation core that offers an R value rating of 7.2 — up to double the thermal performance of insulation batts and polystyrene. It also guarantees section J compliance without added components or reliance on installation.

The design of the Kingspan panel system allows for longer spans compared to traditional alternatives and as such has the capability to reduce the purlin requirement by half, thereby reducing building costs required for materials as well as that required for labour.

Beyond construction, the systems also have lower operational costs because of a higher performing building envelope. For the recent refurbishment of Vetstar, the wholesale pharmaceutical distribution centre in NSW, the client reported that the reflective value of the pale internal liner creates not only a much lighter environment than the traditional roof system it has replaced but is a cooler solution as well.

National operations manager of Vetstar Logistics, Steve Wright says: "The insulated panels have created a cooler environment and transformed the light levels by raising them and making the space brighter. The flow on effect has been a lowering of electricity costs as there has been a reduction in the need for electric lighting throughout the day.

"With summer coming there will also be a benefit from reducing the air-conditioning required. I was also really surprised at just how quickly the panels were installed and we didn’t suffer any down-time during the installation, which also represented a significant saving."

Jay Swannell, rirector of Hi-View Roofing, the installers responsible for the project, comments on the Kings Park project: "Kingspan’s insulated roofing panels were fantastic to work with. Their great design meant they were easy to install and were much less labor intensive than other systems. After we had taken off the old roof it took us approximately 4 days to lay the 2,200 square metres of roofing. This included the time taken to install a number of skylights. We achieved an excellent result."

For a $5 million specialist school in South Gippsland Special School in Victoria, the high performance capabilities of Kingspan’s KS1000 RW Trapezoidal insulated roofing panel systems helped meet the government’s strict required standards for sustainability and guaranteed Section J compliance.

A smart contemporary suite of buildings, the complex is one of the first schools to incorporate Kingspan’s innovative insulated panel systems for a roof. Commenting on the Kingspan panels, project architect Mun Thai of Kneeler Design Architects says: "We chose Kingspan panels for their thermal R value, environmental sustainability and compatibility within the Colourbond range. Their lightweight form and design required less structure and also allowed for more open planning."

Roof contractor for builder WP Constructions, Doug Mitchell, comments: "Kingspan roof panels were a great product to work with, easy to install and looked very good both from outside and underneath. Many people were impressed with the neat flat finish of the interior. It created a very different look to what’s on the market and it offers lots of scope for ceiling design."

In the retail sector, the 3,800 sqm of Kingspan’s KS1000 RW Trapezoidal roofing for the Woolworths supermarket in Geelong has been widely praised by clients and staff alike for the appealing reflective impact of the pale internal liners of the roof paneling, creating a much lighter environment than traditional roofing solutions - the use of Kingspan roof panels meant the suspended ceiling could be eliminated offering a further cost saving.

Project architect James Cron of i2C Design Management says: "Kingspan was selected because we wanted to achieve Section J compliance under BCA and a 5 star rating under the guidelines of the GBCA. The innovative design of the Kingspan panels meant they were fast and easy to install helping us to achieve a roofing system that was neat, clean and elegant in its simplicity."

Kingspan are market leaders in insulated panels technology and the company is not content to simply produce premium performance panel systems; we also look to achieve that extra edge in innovation and design for our products. Kingspan panels can be installed up to 50 per cent faster than site assembled, built up alternative with lower energy and maintenance lifetime costs.