Serendah Solar Plant

INTRODUCTION

The Serendah Solar Plant is a large-scale solar manufacturing facility covering up to 73,600m² of built-up area. Operating in Malaysia’s hot, humid, and rain-intensive tropical climate, the roof system required an insulation solution that could contribute to fire safety, acoustic performance and long-term moisture resistance.

Knauf Insulation’s Earthwool® Metal Roofing Roll (Unfaced) was installed as an infill layer between the aluminum foil and the metal roofing sheets, supporting the facility’s performance requirements as well as the contractor’s installation and logistical needs.

The challenge?

As a manufacturing facility housing electrical equipment and continuous production processes, fire safety was a key concern for the client. The facility required a non-combustible insulation solution that could enhance building safety and align with regulatory expectations for industrial projects in Malaysia. With a large metal roof surface and Malaysia’s frequent heavy rainfall, rain impact noise could easily propagate across the wide production floor. The project therefore required insulation with effective acoustic absorption to help reduce sound transmission and maintain a comfortable working environment. Additionally, the insulation had to perform consistently despite long-term humidity exposure, ensuring stable performance in a tropical climate. The project’s scale — nearly 70,000m² of roofing — combined with extremely limited on-site storage created further logistical challenges. The contractor needed a material that could be delivered flexibly, stored efficiently, and installed rapidly without disrupting construction sequencing.

Besides, with Knauf Insulation’s compression packaging technology, a higher volume of insulation can be packed into each compressed pack, significantly reducing on-site storage requirements. Despite the increased material per pack, the product remains lightweight and manageable to handle, supporting safer and more efficient installation. This allowed the contractor to overcome severe storage constraints and receive materials in flexible delivery stages, ensuring smooth installation progress even with tight timelines and limited space.

DriTherm® Technology

Additionally, the Metal Roofing Roll range is manufactured with DriTherm® Technology, a silicone treatment that provides water-repellent performance, helping the insulation maintain its shape and integrity when exposed to tropical humidity or incidental moisture. Combined with Knauf Insulation Earthwool's ability to perform consistently under long-term humidity exposure, the solution offered a durable and reliable infill layer within the aluminum foil and metal roofing system.

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Why Knauf Insulation?

The Earthwool Metal Roofing Roll (unfaced) product was specified for its reliability to deliver the thermal, acoustic, and moisture-resistance performance required for a metal roof manufacturing warehouse facility in Malaysia. Products manufactured by Knauf Insulation additionally deliver a number of unique benefits that support the creation of better buildings for occupants, installers, and the planet.

ECOSE® Technology, a plant-based binder free of added formaldehyde, is used in the manufacturing process to produce a product containing no chemicals found to pose a risk to humans on the Declare ‘Red List’. Not only does this support improved indoor air quality through low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), but it also provides a softer, cleaner product that generates less dust and reduces skin irritation during handling, improving installer comfort on site.

The sustainability performance is outlined in a product -specific Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), allowing project managers to ascertain the full life-cycle performance of the product to make more informed, sustainable decisions about the products they are specifying.

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