Development, optimization and planning of new building envelope structures made of concrete elements, which demonstrate appliance with heat insulation requirements in Building Regulations 2005

The main goal of the project is to strengthen the continued development and usage of the new types of concrete elements that were proposed in the project 'Concrete elements with better insulation and less thermal bridge effect'. They are obvious means to comply with the coming heat demands in the Building Regulations of 2005. There is a need for additional documentation regarding both the fulfillment of all functional demands and that the elements give an economic advantage compared to the present typical solutions. The project deals with the following three element types, which constitute a great part of the market for concrete elements. 1. One storey high concrete sandwich panels (office, institutional and residential buildings). 2. One storey high concrete elements with rain screens consisting of non-concrete material (brick, wood, glass, metal). 3. Industrial elements in the shape of high sandwich panels with load-bearing ribs. The joints between elements and their connection to windows need to be further developed before good solutions can be determined. Apart from this the project is carried out by developing and constructing integrated standard solutions of which the functions will be documented in laboratory tests. Furthermore the insulation thickness will be optimized corresponding to different economic scenarios. Finally detailed price calculations will be performed on façade sections to illustrate the economic advantages compared to traditional solutions. The close collaboration with trade organizations regarding concrete elements and windows ensures that the project results are passed through directly to the manufacturers of concrete elements and windows, and this secures that the results will be used in the build environment