EU trends: Are eco-insulation materials on the rise?
Published
BauInfoConsult surveyed 6,000 architects
On the insulation market, so-called "natural" insulation materials such as wood wool, hemp, cork, granulates and co. are still niche products. However, they are on the rise throughout Europe, at least from the architects' point of view: According to a survey of 1,600 European planners, the use of natural insulation materials is likely to increase in seven out of eight countries. The future prospects for mineral wool, the market leader, are also favourable in this country. According to the architects' forecast, other insulation materials will have a much harder time.
Natural insulation materials are expected to grow strongly in Germany and most countries - which is certainly related to the trend towards sustainable building, which was also highlighted as a strong development by architects in the same study. Mineral wool is also seen as an insulating material with a future in Germany and most countries - this is certainly also related to the market position of the large mineral wool manufacturers in Europe. PUR/PIR systems, on the other hand, are somewhat weaker - in Germany, planners even expect a slight decline in demand.
In most countries, the architects surveyed do not believe that insulation with EPS/XPs currently has strong growth potential - despite the relatively long service life of polystyrene-based core insulation, which has made these insulating materials so economical and popular. The image problems of the materials, which have come under fire because of fire hazards and also do not seem to fit in well with the current trend towards sustainable building with their somewhat anachronistic "Styrofoam" image, are too high.
Exceptions here, however, are Poland and the Netherlands, where plastic-based insulation is still popular. The EPS industry has also managed to gain ground there in terms of sustainability: It is certainly no coincidence that the first large European recycling plants for EPS insulation materials were launched in the Netherlands.
12/2013: Specialist advice on timber construction
The specialist timber construction advice service of the INFORMATIONSDIENST HOLZ provides individual and company-neutral assistance in planning and building with timber - from fundamental questions in building design to details in execution. These can be technical properties of building products, building law issues, design and structural issues or building physics contexts.
Architects and engineers, public and private building decision-makers, students and teachers as well as media representatives can obtain qualified and unbureaucratic information from experts whose knowledge is up to date.
With the "GREEN high 3 Roofs | Facades | Courtyards" funding programme for existing buildings, we want to expand the greening of roofs, facades and backyards. In this way, we are supporting the efforts of the people of Cologne to green and thus enhance the value of private house and courtyard areas close to their homes as well as commercial areas.
The grants are awarded as part of the GRÜN hoch 3 programme in accordance with the funding guidelines. By funding green roofs, façades and courtyards in densely populated urban areas, we are helping to improve the local urban climate.
The summer heat load is reduced, dust binding is improved and evaporative cooling is increased. The decentralised temporary storage of rainwater on roofs and in unsealed, green courtyards contributes to the retention of rainwater on site, increases evaporative cooling and reduces the damage caused by heavy rainfall events.
In areas with high levels of pollution, the unsealing and greening of unused rear courtyards and the greening of facades and roofs can not only use rainwater for evaporative cooling during summer heat events, but also achieve additional environmental improvements and building optimisation.
"With all kinds of regulations, cities want to ensure sufficient and cheap parking spaces. But economically this is nonsense. It is higher earners who are subsidised. Parking thus becomes a question of justice."
Environment Minister Heinen-Esser: "The protection of the starry night sky serves health, species and climate protection and enables fascinating nature experiences at night".
A fascinating natural spectacle: The Eifel National Park is one of few places in Germany where you can see the Milky Way with your naked eyes. Now the International Star Park Eifel National Park has received the final and so far unique recognition in western Germany. (Photo: Maximilian Kaiser)
Schleiden-Gemünd / Nettersheim, 05.04.2019. Experiencing the starry sky at night with twinkling celestial bodies is a special experience for many people that is now only possible in a few places in Germany - one of these places is the Eifel National Park. Since 2010, a regional initiative has been successfully campaigning for the protection of the night sky and the preservation of the natural night landscape - in 2014, this was followed by the provisional designation as the first "International Dark Sky Park" in Germany. Now this initiative can look forward to the final recognition as International Star Park Eifel National Park. On the grounds of the observatory of the astronomy workshop "Stars without Borders" in the Eifel National Park, Dr. Andreas Hänel, highest representative of the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) in Germany, presented the certificate of recognition to Environment Minister Ursula Heinen-Esser and the head of the Eifel National Park Administration Dr. Michael Röös. The distinction of being a protected area of the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) is a title that only a few regions worldwide can use to promote themselves, in Germany there are only four. For the Eifel National Park, which turned 15 this year, this recognition is a nice "birthday present".
The Eifel National Park is a refuge of undisturbed night skies and has been recognised as a star park since 2014. "Rarely does a topic offer so many win-win situations," said Environment Minister Ursula Heinen-Esser when handing over the certificate. She emphasised the many benefits of protecting the starry night sky: "Dark nights have a positive effect on health, conserve resources and thus help to protect the climate. Darkness is important for many nocturnal animal species, especially insects. Artificial light at night can be a serious threat to them." For North Rhine-Westphalia, he said, the final recognition of the Eifel National Park as the only star park in the entire western half of Germany was an outstanding honour. "The final recognition of the Eifel National Park as a star park helps to raise the profile of our state as a nature destination as well," the state environment minister summed up.
The initiative goes back to the astronomer and lighting consultant Harald Bardenhagen from Cologne, who managed to convince the region of the value of the starry sky. Initially, Bardenhagen found enthusiastic comrades-in-arms in the administration of the Eifel National Park, the district administration of Euskirchen, the national park towns of Schleiden and Heimbach, and those responsible for the Vogelsang property. However, until the final recognition as a Dark Sky Park, further efforts on different levels were necessary: In the design of the outdoor lighting to reduce the artificial light in the National Park and the directly surrounding villages or in the development of tourist offers for stargazing for the general public. The North Eifel Nature Park, in which the Eifel National Park is embedded, has also been intensively involved in this process.
Dr. Michael Röös, Head of the Eifel National Park Authority, thanked Mr. Bardenhagen for his unprecedented commitment against light pollution and his dedication to protecting the night sky and making it possible to experience it. "With the final recognition of the Eifel National Park as an International Star Park, we have reached an important milestone with the region and at the same time taken a pioneering role in the protection of darkness in North Rhine-Westphalia."
"Together we will significantly expand this unique selling point", Manfred Poth, Chairman of the North Eifel Nature Park, was pleased to say. With the innovative project application "Under the Tent of Stars - Eifel by Night", the nature park was able to prevail in the "Nature Park Competition.2021.NRW" of the NRW Ministry of the Environment and, for the first time in its history, took first place. "With the associated 400,000 euros in funding, the protection of darkness through public relations work, through educational offers of sustainable development and tourist infrastructure projects in the Eifel will experience a significant further development," explained Poth. More than 40 project partners, including the Eifel National Park Authority, want to participate in the realisation.
We use cookies to optimize our website and services.
Functional
Always active
Technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a particular service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that have not been requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access, which is solely for statistical purposes.Technical storage or access used solely for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary consent from your Internet service provider, or additional records from third parties, information stored or accessed for this purpose cannot generally be used alone to identify you.
Marketing
Technical storage or access is necessary to create user profiles, to send advertising or to track the user on a website or across multiple websites for similar marketing purposes.
12/2013: Specialist advice on timber construction
