Delivered by GRAHAM for Queen’s University, Belfast, Weavers’ Hall is a 17-storey Purpose Built Managed Student Accommodation (PBMSA). This will be the city’s first-ever Passivhaus-certified student accommodation as well as Belfast’s first ultra-low emission multi-occupancy building.
Currently under construction and already at full height, the new block will house 459 student bedrooms in a mix of cluster apartments and studios, communal facilities and internal and external communal spaces. Offering sustainable, net-zero accommodation with improved internal air quality ensuring an all-year-round comfortable temperature, the block will offer an environment to support students’ mental health and well-being.
Partel visited the contractor, GRAHAM, on site to discuss the specification of EXOPERM MONO SA 250. As a primary airtightness system, EXOPERM MONO SA 250 is ideal for this unique project as it is aiming for Passivhaus Certification, without the use of an internal vapour control layer (the first large scale project on the Island of Ireland to do this).
GRAHAM approved the specification, as according to independent testing carried out by the Passivhaus Institute, EXOPERM MONO SA 250 has proven superior airtightness performance. The Passivhaus Certification shows an Air Permeability of 0.01 m3/(hm2), lower than any other similar membranes being considered for the project.
A further consideration for the specification was the height of the building, which required a B-rated membrane when installed on a non-combustible substrate, so EXOPERM MONO SA 250 was compliant.
Partel’s KABSEAL PRO high-performance grommets, a certified Passive House component, are also being used on the project. Tear-resistant and age-resistant, they provide a fast, permanent and repeatable method of sealing penetrations and are easily inspected by QA, ensuring the highest standards of airtightness and energy performance.
All materials are being supplied via Belfast company, Frederick Jones, specialists in airtightness materials, as they can offer on-site support at short notice.
Partel also carried out a Condensation Risk Analysis using WUFI PRO to provide evidence to prove there would not be any future moisture or mould issues in the wall build up, since there is no VCL being used on the project. The following imagery shows, a typical wall build-up, the WUFI model, graph of total water content, moisture content in the insulation layer and relative humidity at the sheathing board layer.
With an opening scheduled in 2026, this first Passivhaus purpose-built student accommodation in Belfast, has focussed on high quality construction, certified through an exacting quality assurance process.
Weavers’ Hall also features an airtight building fabric, high spec insulation, mechanical ventilation, 100% renewable energy sources for heating and domestic hot water and triple glazing, all in compliance with its Passivhaus goals.
