FlameOut Breathe chosen for refurbishment of Stirling Prize winner

FlameOut Breathe chosen for refurbishment of Stirling Prize winner

ITP’s FlameOut Breathe flame-retardant breather membrane was used as part of a façade upgrade for an award-winning building in Cambridge.

The Accordia Brass Building, designed by Alison Brooks Architects, was envisioned as an architectural landmark within the wider Accordia development, winner of the prestigious Stirling Prize in 2008 and the first housing project ever to receive the award.

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, the lead masterplanner, identified the site for the Brass Building as a key opportunity to create a distinctive focal point. It was conceived as a shimmering apparition nestled among three monumental beech trees that frame the site.

Seventeen years on from Accordia’s Stirling Prize win, the Brass Building was refurbished to bring it up to date with the latest regulations for high-rise buildings. The renovation of the building envelope included FlameOut Breathe installed to facilitate the release of water vapour and prevent moisture damage in the insulation layer. 

As well as being highly breathable, FlameOut Breathe has W1-rated water tightness to protect against rain ingress. The membrane is engineered for fire protection, with textile self-extinguishing attributes and Euroclass B-s1, d0 flame retardancy independently tested to EN 13501-1, making it fully compliant for use on high-rise and high-risk buildings.

Image: Paul Riddle