Quiet! Insulating the Bodleian Library
The South Wing of the Upper Reading Room
Housing over 8 million rare and exquisite books, the Bodleian Library set in the heart of Oxford is one of the most prestigious buildings in the World to have been insulated with Thermafleece, British sheepswool insulation.
Chosen by Oxford University Estates for its compatibility with traditional building methods and with the confidence of full building certification through the BBA, Thermafleece became the ideal choice for insulating the Upper Reading Rooms. A spokesperson for the University commented; “The breathable attributes of natural wool fibres, absorbing and releasing moisture was also one of the key factors to choosing Thermafleece. We were very keen to use a British product and knew the wool used in Thermafleece is sourced from British hill sheep.”
The Copper Roof
The South Wing of the Upper Reading Room, dating from the 1500’s has been totally re-roofed, using copper. The main contractors, Knowles & Son of Oxford have been working on buildings in the city since 1797, so are no strangers to the complexities of this type of project. The timbers remained in good order and once the copper roof was erected, the loft area covering approximately 500 square metres was insulated with Thermafleece to a depth of 250 mm. The re-roofing was completed over a 6 month period and is set to last for the next 150 years.
The contractors found Thermafleece very easy to lay, even in the uneven spaces of the roof,” reported the Senior Building Surveyor with Oxford University Estates. Christine Armstrong, Director of Second Nature UK the Cumbrian company behind Thermafleece commented, “We are very pleased that the University chose Thermafleece for the Bodleian Upper Reading Room. Oxford University Estates heard about Thermafleece through The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), natural fibre insulations like Themafleece bring significant advantages in the refurbishment of older buildings and we are delighted that this information is being disseminated by SPAB.
250 mm of Thermafleece laid in the roof void“
All the building work and the materials used are stringently recorded by Oxford University Estates for information for future generations.