FAQs

Please see the projects and news pages of our web site for examples of buildings made using GLM Emmedue panels. GLM have to date supplied UK and Ireland. Worldwide there are over 1 million buildings made using the same Emmedue M2 technology (even Antartica).

Yes, this can easily be done by installing 40cm long anchoring bars (rebar) every 30cm in the structure of an existing building.

The single panel is structural to four stories and if used as internal walls then all elements are structural. For larger structures, the M2 double panel is suitable.

In the UK we can specify plasterboard on the internal walls to allow for extensions and movement of fittings. All ceilings have a height void from 38mm- 75mm which again makes movement of fittings easier for homes that do not use the plasterboard approach. A wall chaser can also be used.

While the GLM Emmedue Building shell can be erected in hours, it depends on how the house is being constructed. For a single home of 9 x 5m at height 8.3m we could make a 4 bed with two bathrooms in this footprint and provide c.120m2 of floor space over ground, on the first and second floor. Using a rendered finish, the build would be less than three months from finalisation of design to handover, allowing time for the concrete to cure (28 days).

A six-home project would be completed in five months, with a five-person team, by moving between them as the concrete cures.

For large-scale projects we can provide several hundred homes in less than five months, but we are restricted by the capacity of the building site and not the factory. Our factory has the current capacity for more than 4000 SQM of panels per day, based on a 400 SQM building, that is 10 houses per day, which can be increased as required.

Other options include precast units that could be made away from the building site, ready to be craned into position either as panels or modules.  The disadvantage here is that precast units limit your design flexibility.

The standard SIP panel is a timber panel with insulation in the middle. The wooden SIP panel itself is not waterproof and requires additional services including weatherproofing /render etc to be applied to make the system suitable for use. Also, the timber SIP panel is not fireproof without again additional rendering/brickwork etc.

Therefore, overall, the timber SIP is more costly, requires more trades, and requires a crane on-site to erect and install. The Emmedue SIP by GLM is light weight, and when concreted is weatherproof, fireproof, waterproof, and structural to 4+ stories, and no cranes are needed. In addition, the carbon footprint of the Emmedue SIP is lower than that of the timber frame SIP systems.

Pearls are expanded using steam to form Expanded Polystyrene Sheet’s (EPS) which are more than 90% air. The remaining % is made up of oil and fire retardant.

No, the EPS pearls are fire retardant, so they are self-extinguishing and as such stable, unless a continuous fuel source is available to feed a fire. EPS is combustible when the temperature goes over 550Øc, whereas wood combusts at 450øC. EPS is stored in many shop outlets without risk to consumers, the building, or staff. The panels are more than 90% air, with the other % oil and fire retardant.

Yes, Local Authority Building Control have assessed our panels with regard to housing, and we have been accredited with LABC Assured status, we are one of less than 10 companies that have such status for the whole structure of the house. We continually improve our advanced building system, working with trade associations, research organisations and hold building warranties approved for the system.

The panels can be set up and assembled using just two people with minimal equipment, with no lifting equipment required. The spraying of the panel with shotcrete in the case of the Single Panel, most find is easier than applying plaster undercoat.

When using the Double Panel the application of Shotcrete is not required due to the cavity being filled with Concrete.

For the handling and install of the panel, to minimise the risk of grazes and cuts from the exposed metal mesh on the panels – it is advised you wear long sleeve shirts and gloves.

In high winds two people should carry a panel and ensure that they are secured and strapped to stop lifting.

Concrete should be kept away from skin by appropriate planning and where needed the use of PPE (typically boots).

The Emmedue Building System is exceptional in withstanding everything from tornadoes to bullets, explosions, and earthquakes. More videos can be shown of this.

The EPS in the Emmedue M2 Panel does not melt as it is kept cool. In the test video you can see the temperatures applied exceeds 1000c, but the exterior temperature is measured at less than 40c. The mesh and concrete conduct energy away to the whole surface (spreads load in the same way).

In that case, the EPS would eventually melt but tests have shown that this does not happen even after 150 minutes at 1000C – the standard home needs protection for 60 minutes and even in high rise and public buildings, the requirement is only 120 minutes. And as mentioned above, the M2 system does not add fuel to the fire, so if there is no continued fuel source, the fire will not spread.

There is no minimum spec as the use of the structural concrete delivers a watertight structural finish that can be painted but this is not a necessity. However, any additional outer skin can be fixed to the external building fabric, including brick slip, cladding, or any acrylic render. A single application of speciality blended concrete products are used to increases output without loss of strength or waterproofing.

The design of the panel is such that concrete, and metal are reduced in weight and volume but by integrating with the EPS insulation it can be used on its own as single panels for 4 stories.

In comparison to glass, steel, gypsum board, and bricks and for structural applications, the M2 system utilises less CO2 in construction and in use; we can even outperform the carbon balance of wood systems. The concrete we use has a CO2 cost of 121gCO2/kg material. By contrast, plasterboard is nearly 2000gCO2/kg. When creating a structural external wall for a house, M2 only requires 80mm of concrete, which is the same width as a single brick, meaning the CO2 output is far less than a traditionally built house.

EPS is misunderstood as a product by many. When you know it is more than 90% air you can start to understand why its carbon footprint is much lower than you might have expected. EPS is by most measures the most green insulator, better than foamed glass, rockwool and mineral wool. Furthermore, by using the GLB system there is a significant amount of energy/carbon saved by reducing the concrete required and avoiding the need for other materials.

With the correct equipment the building can be recycled, using a vibro impactor. Prior to this, all wiring can be removed before demolition because we use conduit for the electrics. Using a vibro impactor the concrete is separated from the EPS/Steel mesh, then the mesh can be cut and recycled. The EPS can then be washed and compressed to make new insulation.