Beattie Passive Retrofit – Passive Purple in Action

An old block of apartments in Great Yarmouth has undergone a major low-carbon retrofit, delivering a higher, cleaner living standard and significantly reduced energy bills for residents.

To meet airtightness targets and handle the complex details of this project, Passive Purple was applied externally across the entire building. With no margin for error and hundreds of penetrations to deal with, a liquid-applied airtight membrane was the only realistic choice.

The building was insulated externally and given a brand-new façade — from fresh render to sleek aluminium panels. All of this had to be completed while residents remained in place, so speed, efficiency, and minimal disruption were essential.

Why Passive Purple Was the Perfect Solution

Being a liquid-applied airtight membrane, Passive Purple made quick work of sealing every crack, gap, and service penetration in the existing building fabric. The project also involved the installation of hundreds of panel brackets to support the new façade. Each bracket and bolt created a potential leak point, but Passive Purple’s near-impenetrable adhesion made light work of sealing them — something no tape or sheet membrane could have achieved so quickly or reliably.

In liquid form, Passive Purple can be applied to almost any surface (see data sheets for details) and naturally flows into the tiny, unseen gaps and cracks all buildings inevitably have. Even the rough, uneven pebble-dash façade of this block posed no problem — the coating simply found and filled every contour.

Fibre-Reinforced Support for Tricky Details

On this project, we also used Passive Purple Brush — our fibre-reinforced version — to prepare the bracket areas. It easily filled the larger gaps between brackets and the wall, as well as sealing around large penetrating bolts. This ensured every fixing point was fully airtight before the main membrane was applied.

A Showcase of Liquid-Applied Airtightness

This retrofit demonstrates the power and versatility of liquid airtight membranes from Intelligent Membranes. Where sheet systems would have struggled — and failed — to deal with the volume of penetrations, uneven surfaces, and tight deadlines, Passive Purple delivered a robust, seamless airtight layer with maximum efficiency.

Learn more about Passive Purple here or contact us to discuss your next retrofit project.

Check out the Passivhaus Plus Magazine article

Check out the Considerate Contractors Article