We build houses to make shelters to live, to rest, to
work, to enjoy life. We spend more and more time indoors.
It is more and more important to create a microclimate in
our homes to ensure the best conditions for us.
Shaping of inner space on the level of today's technology
requires very complex planning. It is not enough to
gradually improve traditional technologies, but totally
new ways must be found. In developed countries the use of
building methods based on various polystyrene foam
technologies is more and more widespread. The most
important common characteristics of these technologies
are
- better microclimate of inner spaces
- lower operating costs of buildings (both heating
and cooling)
- same level building costs with traditional building.
The Hungarian version of the above-mentioned new
technology is the KONCEPTUM BUILDING SYSTEM. Since
1995 hundreds of detached houses have been built with
this method. The owners of these houses confirm the
advantages of this system. The number of interested
people and customers has been growing continuously. In Hungary
break-down of energy costs of private people is the
following: 55% heating + 25%
transport + 10% warm water + 9% cooking + 1% lighting
= 100 %. As it is
well known energy costs will increase all over the world
on the long run, and Hungary is not an exception. If we
want to save energy we have to start with HEATING.
The main aim of the development of KONCEPTUM
BUILDING SYSTEM besides microclimate advantages was
to save on heating. This target was achieved by creating
a very simple building method, easy planning and variety
of shaping spaces. For the heating-cooling of houses
built with the KONCEPTUM BUILDING SYSTEM 25-35
% less energy is needed compared with modern brick
structures, and building and operating costs are
similarly lower.
It has been proved during the last hundred and fifty
years that structures made of cast-in-situ concrete and
reinforced concrete can be used most economically for
most purposes. It is true that unfavourable opinions are
in majority regarding its use for building apartments but
quite numerous developments aim the elimination of the
disadvantages and keeping its favourable traits in order
to provide an economical system. One of
these developments is KONCEPTUM BUILDING SYSTEM. Here
one of the main points is that with the use of the least
possible quantity of building materials only the
absolutely necessary parts of the structure will be made
of concrete, resp. reinforced concrete. Concrete and
reinforced concrete parts will be surrounded, 'packed' by
polystyrene-foam parts serving as permanent
shuttering.The shape of polystyrene-foam parts allows to
create a two-way hidden rib for the concrete and
reinforced concrete, this way minimalising the quantity
of both the concrete and the reinforcement. The
structures created this way will be first of all
sufficiently strong to afford the required support,
secondly their heat insulation can be optionally
increased, thirdly the building technology is so
amazingly simple, that after a short training builders
can create high-technology houses themselves. The main
structural parts of the KONCEPTUM BUILDING SYSTEM are
the load bearing walls and the slabs forming together a
structural 'BOX'. Here the hidden concrete- reinforced
concrete structures are bonded to the reinforcement and
the consequent continuity of polystyrene elements of the
shuttering will prevent condensation of vapour on the
construction surface. By this no fungus spore can
develop, so hazard of developing allergies is eliminated.
The heat transmission value of the ready
structures is min. 0,20 W/m2K (wall=0,30 meter)
but even 0,10 W/m2K (wall=0,45 meter) can
be achieved if required.The specific concrete
requirement of walls and slabs is 0,08-0,14m3/m2 determined
by the given structural requirements. This
structure (including the polystyrene-foam parts serving
as permanent shuttering) is in full conformity with the
prescriptions of the Hungarian Standard therefore it is
planned by the architect as a unique concrete-reinforced
concrete structure. Consequently no special permission of
ÉMI is necessary. The factories producing the raw
material for the polystyrene shutterings have ÉMI
approval (Austrotherm, Nikecell, Baucell, Évcell....).
Consequently the KONCEPTUM BUILDING SYSTEM requires no
independent approval of ÉMI. The load
bearing walls can be started from basement provided
with necessary enforcement. Walls can be traditional
vertical, or sloped. On the plan the walls can be
straight, polygonal termination or arched. Due to the
optional reinforcement wall openings can be made anywhere
in any shape and size.The effective height of the walls
can be even seven metres formed naturally as reinforced
concrete. Reinforcement both vertically and horizontally
can be placed in the load bearing walls. Reinforcement
can be made of bars or pre-fabricated units, e.g. ring
beam, lintol beams, cantilevers etc.) Slabs
can be vertical, sloped or even arched forms. Their shape
is optional and it is easy to make internal lintels due
to the two-way hidden ribs. Shaping of balcony structures
is optional and here the condesation of vapour is
definitely avoidable. Span of slabs can even be twelve
metres with two-way or multi-way reinforcement. The
length of cantilevers (balcony) can be planned between
two and five metres depending on the thickness of the
slab. The flush slab and joist rib is generally of one
main-direction+side-ribbed but if required it can be of
two main-direction as well as reinforcement can easily
follow it. The
thickness of slabs is adjusted to the actual span, so
it can change between 0,2 metre (<5,0 m) and 0,6 metre
(<15,0 m) by 5 centimetres. This possibility ensures
economical conformity with the required support,
limitation of deflection and bracing requirements. The
slabs can be reinforced according to ordinary methods but
this case the polystyrene shuttering must be supported
along the full surface of the slab depending on the
thickness. A main bar has been developed and produced as
part of the KONCEPTUM BUILDING SYSTEM replacing
the supporting shuttering as a built-in tie beam as
polystyrene elements can be fitted to these. Above four
metres span the reinforced concrete slabs must be raised
in the middle by 0,025-0,03 part of the span and
the tie beams should be supported along this central line
only. The two
main structures can be completed as foundations by
reinforced concrete tie beam net or insulated floor
slabs. The height of the insulated tie beam serving as
skirtings can be wall-like ( see sloping ground where it
can prevent freezing of made-up ground filling under the
floor). This case it can be necessary to reinforce
earth pressure.We suggest putting independent point
foundations under both sub-structures to be led naturally
up to the load bearing earth level, but at least up to
the freezing level. It can be a deep foundation e.g. a
micro-pile. Hereby we call the attention to the fact that
the sub-structures involving insulated floor slabs and
independent point foundations built in on earth level
conform with the strict prescriptions of EARTH-QUAKE-PROOF
buildings as well. Obviously sub-structures can be of
common structure, we have no limitation. The essence
of the building method at each structural unit is, that
on basis of the plans of the building we produce
polystyrene shuttering elements and tie beams according
to the required sizes. These will be assembled on the
building site (making use of the temporarily necessary
complementing supportings as well) and in the meantime
the additional reinforcements specified on the drawing
will be placed in them as well. It will be followed by
the filling up of the hollow-system by concrete, the
periods and execution of which can be determined by the
architect. Processing of concrete can be done manually
'with buckets' but by pumping as well. Particle size can
be chosen between 0-5 mm to 0-32 mm and quality will be
determined by the architect (generally C.16 or better).
We stress the importance of using concretes with low
quantity of water and high quantity of liquifying
chemical in order to get concretes with better
processability features and better quality end-product.
Due to small quantity of concrete necessary for our
structures use of 0-5 mm particle size so-called
micro-concrete ( free of clay rough sand and rock sand)
is very favourable regarding price, labour and
availability. It makes possible transfer of material by a
mortar-pump. This case we suggest adding the already
known fibre (abt. 1 kg/m3) to prevent expectable cracks
due to higher cement content. As the concrete will be put
into insulating shuttering drying is much quicker than
usual, improving the date of dismantling the temporary
complementing supports (on average halves it). Additional
advantage is the slackening of the concrete on the
polystyrene shuttering surfaces so the danger of missing
wet-keeping is less. It follows from the above that the
concrete-processing of the KONCEPTUM BUILDING SYSTEM
provides a more reliable quality than usual even in case
of 'do-it-yourself' method. The tolerance at production
of the polystyrene shuttering elements is in the
millimetre range. So assembly is easy and simple and
the wall-slab accuracy is considerably greater than
usual. With our building technology it is possible to
make buildings of big spans with minimum mechanization,
low labour and skilled work requirements. The
KONCEPTUM BUILDING SYSTEM allows further dicrease of
investment cost by establishing the upper level of the
flush slab and joist ribbed construction on the upper
level of the polystyrene shuttering elements. The cap
plate is separately made. This case the concrete with
mesh reinforcement and with acoustic bedding will be the
screed of the upper level and the partition walls will be
made on this. This way the quantity of concrete and
reinforced concrete is reduced, dicreasing costs. Besides
a whole separation of acoustic and fire-zone will be
realized between the lower and upper levels. It provides
possibility for establishing screed of super-structure
in the second step only. Build-in of
windows and doors must be done to the concrete-reinforced
concrete structures. It can be done with the help of
brackets passing through the polystyrene shuttering
element to the concrete structure. This method ensures
thermal control. Air-tightness between the polystyrene
surface and the frame of the windows and doors must be
ensured by polyurethane foaming. Pipe
network of plumbing, conduits and their connections and
boards can be generally placed to the rebates and grooves
of the polystyrene elements, preferably before the
finishing coat. It is possible to place the pipes of
bigger diameter to the concrete part of the wall before
casting, but in that case the taper must be taken into
consideration when planning. Fixing of pieces of
furniture or fittings must be done every case to the
concrete-reinforced concrete structure with the help of
steel jointings (Hilti, Fischer etc.) or properly treated
wooden panels. Chimney structure must be of independent
structure and optional system. In case of KONCEPTUM
BUILDING SYSTEM heating requirement is 20-28
W/cubic metre of air compared with common 60 W/cubic
metre of air. Heating system can be optional, though the
nowadays quickly spreading wall-heating can be
installed with our system the most economically. The low
energy-requirement of our system offers possibility of
using solar energy as supplemental heating. Damp proof
course and vertical damp proof against subsoil water and
moisture must be done in the usual way. On polystyrene
surfaces gluing is possible with dispersion adhesives. In
case surfaces are plastered any insulation can be glued. Elevation
finish offers numerous possibilities. First of all
every plaster of min.3-5 mm thickness of acrylic resin
base reinforced with glass or polyesther net can be used.
Secondly possibility is given for using conventional
plaster, but this case a zinc-lathing must be fixed to
the polystyrene foam with plastic screws before
plastering. We suggest using both cases edge protection
strips. Thirdly possibility is given for using hard
finish tiles-like covering which can be fixed in smaller
or bigger blocks with acrylic-base adhesive. Thickness is
between 5-20 mm. The fourth possibility is any assembled
coverings that must be fixed to the concrete-reinforced
concrete behind the polystyrene. Decorations, fascia,
frames on the perimeter wall can be made with glueing
polystyrene profiles with plaster finish. External
plinth can be made with any of the above methods not
forgetting about damp proof course. There are various
possibilities with internal finishes. One of the
most frequently used method is fixing of a 9,5 mm thick
plasterboard to the polystyrene wall surface by adhesive
with the usual joints. Adhesive used can be either
gypsum or special adhesive. If plastering of gypsum is
made, it can be rendered directly to the polystyrene
surface. On ceilings glass-fibre reinforced gypsum knot
is the primer coat. It can be followed by applying a
finishing coat of paint or soft finishes in either of the
above cases. It is also possible to put hard, timber or
plastic finishes, when the frame must be fixed to the
concrete-reinforced concrete structure. Decorations can
also be fixed with the help of polystyrene profiles and
special adhesives. They can be plastered and painted in
accordance with the finish of other surfaces. BUDAPEST,
1999.10.10. Béla
BOLDOGHY dipl.ing.architect and dipl.ing.
engineer KONCEPTUM
BUILDING-SYSTEM, HUNGARY-1116
BUDAPEST, VASVIRÁG-SOR 72. TEL:
36-1-208-5469 FAX:
36-1-382-0283 internet:
www.konceptum.hu e-mail: konceptu@westel900.net
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