Thermal Retrofitting of Façades: Architectural Integration of ETICS
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 30, Issue 2
Abstract
Given the poor thermal comfort provided in many buildings, solutions have been sought that ally lower energy costs with a contribution to greater sustainability. Of these solutions, the thermal retrofitting of the outer envelope of buildings stands out, with various systems of façade insulation being devised such as ETICS (external thermal insulation composite system). Even though advantageous by comparison with other thermal retrofitting solutions, system integration in the façade needs to be minutely detailed. However, its integration in the facade is possible, provided that it meets the target objectives, including the improvement of thermal comfort. Taking the application of ETICS in façade rehabilitation as the starting point, with particular reference to residential buildings, this paper offers some proposals in the form of novel solutions for the architectural integration of the system based on current solutions, suggesting general design procedures. The architectural details of these solutions were the main object of the study and this paper presents some solutions for integration in the windows areas, which can prevent some very common errors frequently made nowadays. The degree of architectural integration of the solutions can vary according to four evaluation parameters: cost, durability, practicability and architectural integration. These parameters assume different values in the various proposed solutions, which is why there are several feasible solutions for each element of the facade.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the ICIST Research Institute, IST, Technical University of Lisbon and the FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology).
References
Amaro, B., Saraiva, D., de Brito, J., and Flores-Colen, I. (2013). “Inspection and diagnosis system of ETICS on walls.” Constr. Build. Mater., 47, 1257–1267.
Amaro, B., Saraiva, D., de Brito, J., and Flores-Colen, I. (2014). “Statistical survey of the pathology, diagnosis and rehabilitation of ETICS in walls.” J. Civ. Eng. Manage., 20(4), 511–526.
Barreira, E., and Freitas, V. (2005). “Importance of thermography in the study of ETICS finishing coating degradation due to algae and mildew growth.” 10th Int. Conf. on Durability of Building Materials and Components, CIB, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Collina, A. (2007). “Comfort and energy saving: The external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS).” 2nd National Congress of Construction Mortars—APFAC, APFAC, Lisbon, Portugal.
Collina, A., and Lignola, G (2010). “The external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS). More than comfort and energy saving.” APFAC—3rd National Congress of Construction Mortars, APFAC, Lisbon, Portugal.
Daniotti, B., and Paolini, R. (2005). “Durability design of external thermal insulation composite systems with rendering.” 10th Int. Conf. on Durability of Building Materials and Components, CIB, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
EIMA. (2008). Exterior wall cladding performance study, Georgia, 〈〉.
EOTA. (2000). “Guideline for European technical approval of external thermal insulation composite systems with renderings.”, European Organization for Technical Approvals, Brussels, Belgium.
HHA (Hastoe Housing Association). (1999). Sustainable homes: Embodied energy in residential property development, Reading, U.K., 〈http://www.sustainablehomes.co.uk/upload/publication/Embodied%20Energy.pdf〉 (Jan. 1, 2013).
Künzel, H., Künzel, H. M., and Sedlbauer, K. (2006). “Long-term performance of external thermal insulation systems (ETICS).” Acta Archit., 5(1), 11–24.
Lucas, S., and Ferreira, V. M. (2010). Selecting insulating building materials trough an assessment tool, Universidade do Minho and Universidade de Lisboa, Vilamoura, Portugal.
Malanho, S., and Veiga, M. R. (2011). “Performance of external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) with finishing ceramic tiles.” 12th Int. Conf. on Durability of Building Materials and Components, Porto, Portugal.
Mills, F., Lawrence, T., Rakheja, A., and Darwich, A. (2012). “Green buildings practices around the world.” ASHRAE J., 48–55.
Paiva, J. (2003). Energy rehabilitation measures in buildings, 2nd Ed., National Laboratory of Civil Engineering, Lisbon, Portugal (in Portuguese).
Rouni, G. K., and Kirn, M. (2006). “Efficient energy thermal insulation façade systems for optimal savings and flexibility in architectural design.” Int. Workshop on Energy Performance and Environmental Quality of Buildings, Milos Island, Greece.
Vallée, F., Rubaud, M., Blanchard, N., and Gandini, A. (1999). “Investigation on the behavior of polymer-cement composites in ETICS renderings.” 8th Int. Conf. on Building Materials and Components, CIB, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Vaz-Sá, A., Rangel, B., De Sousa, H., and Abrantes, V. (2007). “Why insulate? The arguments for sustainability.” CIB World Building Congress ‘Construction for Development’, CIB, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 30 • Issue 2 • April 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 21, 2014
Accepted: Mar 9, 2015
Published online: Apr 20, 2015
Discussion open until: Sep 20, 2015
Published in print: Apr 1, 2016
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.