Fort Cambridge installs innovative thermal insulation

Thermal insulation is one in a long list of energy saving initiatives at Fort Cambridge.

Sliema's Fort Cambridge is the first residential project of its size in Malta to feature thermal insulation on each block's frontage.

This unique green measure will help reduce heat loss in winter and aid cooling in summer, drastically reducing energy costs, the developers said. The insulation will also act as soundproofing.

The thermal insulation product, which is currently being installed on all the 47,000 square metres of frontage of the Fort Cambridge project, is from the high end Italian Fassa Bartolo range of products.

Consisting of a polystyrene protection layer five centimetres thick, the insulation is affixed to the front walls of each block and then covered by a graffiato coating. This system is widely used overseas and is commonly known as 'sistema cappotto'. It is also a measure installed on buildings bearing green certification.

Fort Cambridge chairman George Muscat said the thermal insulation was one in a long list of energy saving initiatives at the development which includes a water-cooled air-conditioning system, thermal glazed glass apertures to ensure solar protection, and a reservoir underneath the properties which will accumulate water from roofs and terraces to irrigate the surrounding gardens.

Work on the freehold Fort Cambridge project is now entering its final stages. The project is on target for completion by mid-2011. The south block has reached the seventh storey, while the other blocks have all reached the fifth. Residents will be able to move into the south block by this summer.

Source "The Times"