Cover Story – MEDITE SMARTPLY

Imagination meets innovation with MEDITE

As one of Europe’s best known brands of MDF, MEDITE is considered the benchmark for quality, consistency and performance. Its wide range of sustainable specialist products are helping meet the creative and diverse needs of a wide range of specifiers and designers.

t is no secret that the construction industry is a major I producer of carbon. Nearly 40% of the UK’s total carbon footprint is from the built environment, and almost half of this energy comes from operations within buildings and infrastructure that has nothing to do with their functional operation.1 It is a problem across the industry—but

progress is being made.

In a bid to bring the construction industry down a more sustainable route, several initiatives are now underway. In November 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the ‘Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution,’ which aims to reduce UK emissions by 180 million tonnes of carbon dioxide between 2023 and 2032 and develop further plans to meet the target of net zero by 2050.2

Part of this plan includes the extension of the Green Homes Grant for another year, in which homeowners in England, including landlords, can get up to £5,000 to pay part of the cost of energy saving measures like insulation.3 This means that the design and construction industries need to step up their game and become even more environmentally conscious.

Wellbeing is also high on the agenda. The need for more healthconscious interior spaces at home and at work has also risen sharply in recent years, especially since the onset of the pandemic and consequent lockdowns which has forced many of us to spend more time at home. This unique situation has brought about its own challenges. As a result, architects and designers are under more pressure than ever to take active steps to incorporate features and products in their work that will make spaces safer and healthier to live and work in.

This raises the question on how the timber construction industry can adapt to these demands. For example, how can innovative and bespoke interior fit outs be created while focusing on sustainability and wellbeing?

MEDITE MDF makes it real by continuously developing new innovative, versatile and sustainable products, suitable for bespoke interior fit outs and refurbishments.

Part of the Coillte Group in Ireland, its sustainable supply chain and manufacturing processes means the products themselves are as environmentally conscious as they are in their application. Around 20%4 of the Coillte Estate, which is nearly 90,000 hectares of forest lands, is managed with biodiversity and nature conservation in mind.5 Coillte uses the latest technology and information to harvest wood efficiently,

safely and responsibly in order to be as sustainable as possible. MEDITE MDF fulfils an important recycling concept for the forestry sector by processing waste from the Irish sawmill as wood chip, accounting for nearly 60% of the raw input for MEDITE MDF.

As one of Europe’s most renowned brands of MDF, MEDITE is considered the benchmark for quality, consistency and performance. Its wide range of specialist products are designed to meet the creative and diverse needs of specifiers, users and designers while meeting

MEDITE MDF fulfils an important recycling concept for the forestry sector by processing waste from the Irish sawmill as wood chip, accounting for nearly 60% of the raw input for MEDITE MDF.

demands for more sustainable and healthier spaces. Through constant progression and investment, MEDITE SMARTPLY can delve into diverse markets and continuously produce fresh, new products to address everchanging demands.

The MEDITE MDF range is CARB phase 2 compliant – a regulation limit lower than the European regulate E1 formaldehyde class — with some specialist products, notably MEDITE CLEAR, being manufactured with guaranteed no added formaldehyde.

This opens doors for professionals who work with MDF, or those who have an enthusiasm for MDF, to be able to make bigger, better and ever more design led work real, as well as maintain their peace of mind when it comes to the sustainability and the sensitivity of the environments they are create. The extensive MEDITE range includes ten different families of MDF products and many variants within this, with over 400 specifications possible—a choice vast enough that a brand new MEDITE MDF enthusiast community is now blossoming online.

Joiners, carpenters, furniture makers, or anyone with an interest in MDF, are now able to join this forum for the industry, to share ideas, gain inspiration and meet other similar professionals and enthusiasts. Anyone who joins will also have first access to exclusive news, updates and other exclusive content. Each MDF offers the designer or specifier a specific benefit. If wellbeing is on top of the list for example, then MEDITE MR and MEDITE CLEAR are the top choices. These two specialised MDF panels have the versatility to allow interior designers and home improvers to transform a space into a healthier, design-led one.

MEDITE MR is a moisture resistant panel, specially designed for use in humid conditions in accordance with MDF.H (Option 1) as defined in EN 622-5 – making it ideal for applications such as kitchen and bathroom furniture – as well as window and skirting boards and architectural mouldings. Its smooth surface allows for a superior finish when used for interior applications.

 MEDITE MAKES IT REAL

With industry leading engineered wood panels, you bring the imagination, we’ll bring the innovation. Join the MEDITE community today for your chance to win exclusive prizes every month from power tool brand Milwaukee, to help take your work to the next level:

www.meditemakesitreal.com

Originally formulated for environmentally sensitive applications such as hospitals, schools and museums, MEDITE CLEAR offers a no added formaldehyde, low volatile organic compound (VOC) solution for other interior spaces too. Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring VOC substance, found in all natural things in very small amounts. Wood, for example, contains a small amount of formaldehyde which may be emitted into the air over time. MEDITE CLEAR can help to improve indoor air quality in the home, especially in areas which may require special attention to help ensure the health and wellbeing of those who will spend time there: children’s bedrooms, for example. Furthermore, a flame retardant version is also produced, for complete peace of mind from all angles: MEDITE FR CLEAR.

For an MDF with even more design possibilities, there is MEDITE PREMIER. Produced using superior wood refining technology and specially designed resins, MEDITE PREMIER features excellent facing properties, making it suitable for the thinnest laminates and surface coatings as well as a wide range of interior applications such as contemporary and ready to assemble furniture, shelving, fit outs and much more. MEDITE PREMIER FR also has the added benefit of flame retardancy. It is a Euroclass B and C are MDF panel specially developed for use in fire rated applications where a Euroclass B or a Euroclass C flame retardant board is required under building regulations. These include hotel foyers, offices, public libraries, schools, cinemas and other public buildings.

Of course, those wanting a high performance breathable sheathing panel for a timber frame structure, will find MEDITE VENT an ideal choice. Its high racking strength in excess of Category 1 requirements, and high vapour permeability and weather resistance, makes it the perfect choice for the outer sheathing layer in ‘diffusion open’ breathable timber frame walls, particularly for Passivhaus.

For further information on the extensive MEDITE range of MDF visit

mdfosb.com/en/products/medite-mdf