Creating sustainable, healthy, and comfortable transport hubs
Airport terminal buildings are energy-intensive, multi-use spaces. They usually include offices, retail stores, malls, food services, public safety areas, and assembly spaces.
With high ceilings, expansive interiors, and transparent envelopes that maximise natural light, airport terminal buildings require complex stratified air conditioning systems. This often leads to fluctuating indoor temperatures and increased energy consumption comparable to small cities.
Large railway stations and bus terminals face similar challenges in managing energy usage and user comfort.
Fletcher Insulation equips architects and specifiers with insulation solutions for walls, ceilings, floors, roofs, building services, and HVAC systems, ensuring energy-efficient and comfortable environments for travellers and staff.
How insulation helps to create better environments
HVAC systems in airports consume 40 to 80% of total electrical energy. Insulation enhances efficiency and reduces energy costs for these crucial heating and cooling systems.
Sound-absorbing insulation in busy transport hubs effectively reduces noise disturbance, reducing stress and distractions, and improving employee performance.
Insulation dampens vibrations in underground railway tunnels, helping to preserve the structural integrity of tunnels and nearby buildings.
At Fletcher Insulation, we’ll help you specify the optimal insulation materials for your transport building projects.
We provide solutions that contribute to creating:
A healthier indoor environment for all
Reduced energy solutions to control costs and environmental impact
Higher Green-Star ratings and WELL certification
Safe, fire-resistant construction systems
Taking a holistic approach to the health and wellbeing of people in airports and other transport hubs
While conditions vary, well-designed airport buildings and railway and metro stations enhance passenger experience and offer a positive working environment for employees. Insulation has an important role to play:
A more comfortable indoor environment Insulation plays a key role in maintaining a comfortable environment within transport hubs by helping to regulate interior temperatures. This consistency is particularly important in transit areas where large doors are frequently opened, allowing outdoor weather to influence the indoor climate.
Improved indoor air quality Installed in the walls, ceilings, and under soffits, insulation improves air quality in two key ways. First, insulation such as wall wraps and roof sarkings acts as a barrier, reducing the infiltration of outdoor pollutants. Second, by helping to control temperature and humidity levels, the right type of insulation aids in preventing the growth of mould and mildew, both of which can proliferate in moist or inadequately ventilated environments.
Optimised operational efficiency The right insulation solutions can significantly boost the efficiency of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems. By ensuring a building is well-insulated, the HVAC system requires less energy to maintain a stable indoor temperature, leading to more consistent ventilation and a reduction in energy costs.
Insulating busy transport hubs creates quieter, more pleasant, and energy-efficient environments that support operational needs while enhancing the comfort and wellbeing of all occupants.
The importance of acoustic comfort
Ensuring a comfortable acoustic environment is a critical aspect of effective building design.
Effective insulation improves the comfort and safety of train passengers and staff by minimising the noise and vibrations they experience while in tunnels. This can lead to a quieter and more stable underground transportation environment.
Typically, transport hubs are bustling with activity, generating significant noise from announcements, passenger conversations, and machinery. With its acoustic properties, insulation absorbs and reduces noise levels, creating a quieter atmosphere inside the building. This noise reduction improves overall passenger comfort and maintains a conducive working environment for employees.
Fletcher Insulation products are designed on the principle that quality acoustic design supports the health and wellbeing of everyone in our community.
Controlling indoor thermal comfort, air quality and building condensation
A well-managed indoor environment enhances occupants’ wellbeing.
Buildings with optimal thermal comfort and healthy indoor air quality promote a positive experience for the diverse users of transport hubs.
Fletcher Insulation’s approach focuses on creating customised solutions for each transport hub project.
By offering a variety of insulation solutions, we aim to decrease dependence on artificial heating and cooling while enhancing indoor air quality.
Collaborating with leading commercial designers, we’ve provided our products for significant airport, rail, and bus projects, including:
Western Sydney International Nancy-Bird Walton Airport
Melbourne Tullamarine Airport – Private Jet Base
Jandakot Bus Depot (Government of WA Public Transport Authority)
Gold Coast Airport
Kenwick Rail Facility
Bankstown Sydney Metro
Parkville Metro Tunnel, Victoria
Flight One Archerfield Airport
Protecting people and buildings from fire
Fire safety is vital in safeguarding lives and assets from fire and smoke hazards.
An essential part of fire safety involves selecting materials that prioritise people’s safety during fires while minimising property and equipment damage and preventing operational disruptions.
Building insulation, installed in walls, floors, ceilings, roofs, and around HVAC systems, plays a pivotal role in fire safety.
In addition to complying with the National Construction Code (NCC 2019 and 2022), designers and commercial building owners must also take into account the standards and minimum requirements set by insurers. Selecting insulation that does not meet these criteria could result in increased insurance premiums.
Fletcher Insulation offers a range of meticulously tested insulation solutions using non-combustible or low-flammability materials. Our products are engineered to ensure the safety of both people and buildings. No matter the unique challenges of your building design, our expert team is ready to assist designers and specifiers in selecting the most effective fire-safe insulation for your project.
Using Fletcher Insulation’s glasswool products in external cladding and internal partitions ensures compliance with AS/NZS 1530.1 standards for combustibility.
Fletcher Insulation’s glasswool products are deemednon-combustible when tested to AS 1530.1, offering compliance for use in external cladding and internal partition applications, providing peace of mind.
For the good of the planet
As governments and businesses increasingly focus on cutting energy costs and reducing carbon emissions, the right insulation solutions become essential.
Fletcher Insulation is committed to sustainable manufacturing processes. Our efforts help reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment by:
Producing insulation with zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP): Our insulation materials do not contribute to ozone layer depletion.
Ensuring healthy indoor air quality: Our products are free from harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), promoting healthier indoor environments.
Using recycled materials: Approximately 80% of the glass used in our glasswool insulation is recycled, transforming waste products and reducing landfill.
Incorporating our insulation solutions into the design of transport hubs like airports, train, and metro stations supports energy conservation and meets the growing demand for sustainable infrastructure that helps reduce carbon emissions.
Reducing the energy load in large, multi-use, air-conditioned buildings can be challenging due to acoustic and thermal demands.
Effective roof insulation minimises noise disturbance while providing thermal protection, condensation control, and fire resistance.
Fletcher Insulation offers a comprehensive range of solutions to meet the demanding performance requirements of airports and other transport hubs, including:
Permastop® Building Blankets – These blankets have outstanding thermal and acoustic properties, reducing heat transfer and minimising internal reverberation and external noise, such as rain on a metal roof. They also reduce the risk of condensation in metal cladding.
Roof Razor with Permastop® – To reduce thermal bridging, we recommend using Roof Razor with Permastop®. Roof Razor allows full recovery of the insulation blanket between the safety wire mesh and metal cladding, ensuring optimal thermal performance and compliance with NCC requirements.
Pink® Thermal Slab for concrete roofs – For buildings with concrete roofs, Pink® Thermal Slab is the best choice. Offering excellent thermal and acoustic absorption, this product enhances energy efficiency and helps control noise and temperature fluctuations. It also provides superior fire performance, achieving an AS 5637.1 Group 1 NCC fire classification for ceiling lining applications. Additionally, it is AS4859.1 Codemark certified for thermal performance, providing confidence and certainty through a Certificate of Conformity, demonstrating ‘evidence of suitability’ requirements of the NCC.
Specifying Fletcher Insulation products ensures effective management of indoor temperature, moisture, and humidity in your transport hub building project. Not only will our range prevent structural damage down the track, but it will also protect the health of everybody using the building.
Pink® Partition Range – Ideal for buildings with concrete walls, this non-combustible material offers excellent acoustic performance and fits between wall framing. Available in a variety of R-values, densities, and thicknesses, it also contains up to 80% recycled content.
Pink® Partition 22 R4.2 150mm – Developed specifically for external walls that require high thermal performance.
CodeMark Certified – All Fletcher Insulation glasswool insulation suitable for external walls is CodeMark certified for thermal performance.
Steel Frames & Cladding – We recommend using Sisalation® Vapawrap Residential Wall Wrap with Pink® Partition insulation between studs. In hotter, more humid climates, use Sisalation® Multipurpose (456), taped and sealed with Pink® Partition insulation.
When specifying soffit insulation, we recommend Pink® Thermal Slab. This highly effective solution combines a semi-rigid glasswool board made from up to 80% recycled glass with Sisalation® Heavy Duty 450 Facing Foil laminate. The foil is adhered to one side and is available in various thicknesses to meet project requirements.
Insulation is crucial for fire resilience, thermal performance, and acoustic management in all buildings. It plays a particularly important role in the design of public infrastructure such as train stations and airports.
Pink® Partition insulation is specially designed for commercial metal-framed partitions, wall systems, and suspended ceilings, delivering energy efficiencies with exceptional thermal and acoustic performance. It’s ideal for partition walls in busy, multi-use spaces where acoustic control is crucial.
Australian-made Pink® Partition – Like all Fletcher Insulation glasswool solutions, it is non-combustible, enhancing safety and minimising fire damage. This reduces disruption to commercial operations and lowers costs in the event of a fire.
AS 4859.1 CodeMark Certified – Pink® Partition insulation is certified for thermal performance through the issue of a Certificate of Conformity, meeting National Construction Code (NCC) suitability requirements.
Best for Ceilings – For ceilings, including suspended ceilings, Pink® Partition insulation is the best choice, especially where acoustic performance is a priority.
A well-insulated building is the cornerstone of achieving effective and sustainable energy efficiency levels. It’s essential to focus on ensuring that products and services are installed correctly to deliver their promised long term benefits.
