Scientists’ corner: Ventilated facades
The new development represents a sustainable lightweight ventilated façade that constitutes a second skin outside the existing façade.
A ventilated façade offers a number of advantages, such as a comfortable interior climate, in winter and summer; optimal moisture regulation; rainwater penetration is minimized and condensation moisture is drained through ventilation; easy to adapt to current and future energy standards; endless design possibilities; combining superbly with a range of materials. A natural vented cavity is located between these two skins creating a void gap for “chimney effect”. A new recycled product made by fly ash from thermal power plants is being tested to be used as external board of the ventilated façade that, in confrontation with traditional solutions, presents a higher environmental profile and improved mechanical properties. The use of this low density product is beneficial in terms of structural load-bearing, and as acoustic and thermal insulation.
A flexible, adaptable and easy to install aluminum structure will be used to support the ventilated façade allowing an easy assembly and disassembly works of the modular external boards, and reducing the loads on the existing façade.
BRICKER partner Acciona will apply the technology in the Turkish demo building (ADU). Apart from the passive renovation with traditional solutions to be done in the building, around 1.300 m2 of the external wall of the building will be renovated with the ventilated façade researched in the project. The picture below represents the selected wall to install the technology.
Previous to the installation of the ventilated façade, a layer of insulation foam will be applied on the external wall. Later, the aluminum structure strategically design will be anchored to the existing building structure on the slab edges and finally the external boards - recycled product - will be fixed to the aluminum structure.