Innovation, high standard and buying British…a sustainability award shortlisting for ISD Solutions

Left to right: ISD Solutions’ senior management team: Gareth Ross, Andy Moon, Adrian Smith and Tony Wall

Innovation, a rigorous approach to air leakage and an insistence on supporting British suppliers have together resulted in a sustainability award shortlisting for specialist construction firm ISD Solutions.

The third-generation cold store, firewall, cladding and single envelope specialist has been shortlisted in the Environmental and Sustainability category at the Temperature Controlled Storage and Distribution (TCS&D) Awards for 2019.

It will compete against six other companies to win the category, with the winner being revealed at the TCS&D Awards Evening held in Peterborough on the 25^th of June.

Winners will be expected “to have demonstrated a documented history of reducing the environmental impact of their operation”, accompanied by evidence of innovation.

Gloucester-based ISD, a trading division of The P&M Group Ltd, has developed a reputation for quality and innovation ever since it was set up in 1946.

Since introducing the concept of single envelope technology to the UK construction industry in 2002, it has pioneered the method of constructing external walls capable of maintaining internal temperatures.

Sustainability benefits of the technique include:

• A reduction of materials used, resulting in less manufacturing, less transport and less plant required for the installation;
• Less waste produced on site;
• A more competitive and quicker installation for the end user.

An example of ISD’s single envelope work is in their construction of a new freezer chamber and a loading dock area for Yearsley Logistics, the UK’s largest frozen food logistics service provider, in Peterborough.

The project involved the installation of more than 5,000sqm of roof panels, over 6,000sqm of wall panels and some 4,000sqm of super-insulated flooring, all in a 12-week programme ending in September 2018.

ISD also prides itself in exceeding traditional air leakage rates through using enhanced vapour detailing, reducing running costs and minimising the impact on the environment.

One project completed this year for a major supermarket chain has achieved an air permeability rate of just 0.24m3/(h.m2) at 50 Pascals, exceeding the specified figure and far beyond the ‘normal’ industry rating.

Further sustainability benefits come from the company’s support of ‘UK Plc’. Steve Baker, Group Safety and Compliance Manager for ISD Solutions said: “Many companies within our industry only consider price when procuring materials.

“However, location is a key factor in the decisions we take as we recognise the carbon footprint of getting products to site.

“One major project this year saw us sourcing 85 articulated lorries-worth of panels and insulation boards from UK suppliers rather than European manufacturers. It meant slightly higher cost but they were transported a much shorter distance, rather than across a continent and the Channel.

“We seek products with high-performing environmental credentials wherever possible, as we are committed to minimising the adverse impact of construction activities on the environment.”