just fully lining and insulating out , you can achieve a softer approach towards getting a building working environmentally and responsibly without a heavy-handed restoration .”
Blake recognises it ’ s a challenge in a climate where there is a controversial debate about the validity of u-values ( a measurement of how effective a material is as an insulator ) in assessing thermal efficiency of buildings , when thermal imaging is beginning to expose that u-value criteria is not always delivering the built solution that was promised on paper . “ The thermal performance of a wall needs to be looked at in a different way than just a simple mathematical sum of individual components with test bed u-values . Thermal imaging has shown that what , based on design , should be blue , is significantly scarlet and leaking energy . Other building methods which , on paper , appear not to have the same thermal efficiency , when tested via thermal imaging , are proved to be more thermally efficient than what modern materials and u-values would show ,” adds Blake .
With 12 offices across the UK and three overseas , Purcell is both international and local with a
spectrum of engagement from ancient monuments right through to cutting edge new build technology . “ We are bespoke and innovative in that regard , across a range of architecture where we continue to win awards as experts in the field . We ’ re both passionate and committed while remaining responsive to the operational and aspirational requirements of our clients ,” asserts Blake , who is proud of Purcell ’ s National Portrait Gallery appointment to work with Jamie Fobert on the proposals for refurbishment and extension of the Grade I listed building .
58 May 2018