Mantle Panel building system

Surrey-based Mantle Panel Ltd has developed a new building system around an innovative material which has extremely high insulation (currently 0.17 U-value) and load-bearing properties. The highly cost effective building system could save an estimated 20 per cent on the cost of construction when compared to brick and block or timber techniques, according to the company. Furthermore, the material's high insulation rating could reduce heating costs by more than 60 per cent with accompanying reductions in CO₂ emissions.
The Mantle^® Panel Building System^© is frameless and comprises a double inner core of high density bonded polymer similar to that used in cycle helmets.This core is sandwiched between two cement boards to form a panel which is more than three times stronger than engineered timber and six times as strong as untreated timber. In addition, the material is 100 per cent recyclable and its flame resistant properties far exceed safety regulations.
Tor Hoie, a director of Mantle Panel Ltd, explains that his idea was born out of a lifelong passion for sustainable construction. He wanted to create a building system that would insulate buildings but could also bear structural loads. Furthermore, the new material would have to be completely recyclable. Inspiration for the material came to him on researching the high density of polymer material used in safety helmets. Not only did Hoie find this material to be incredibly strong, but he was also impressed by its potential to support a carbon-neutral system and he decided to incorporate a hybrid core product in his new design.
Hoie believes that his new building system will have important implications for the construction of social housing in the near term. The system allows the thermal envelope for a typical house to be constructed in as little as a week and at low cost. In addition, its insulation properties mean that the construction will also be cheap to heat, making it ideal for social housing projects.
Because its components are relatively light in weight, his Mantle^® Panel Building System^© could be used more broadly in the construction industry in the future, lowering foundation infrastructure requirements for buildings up to twelve storeys, while increasing ease and speed of build.