Model Houses
Sustainability project with Dubai Central Laboratories
Construction chemicals help make buildings more sustainable. This has been proven many times – for buildings in cold climates. But what are the effects in a hot environment? To obtain valid results, we started an innovative project together with Dubai Central Laboratories in Dubai.
Study Setup
Two almost identical, life-sized houses were built on site in Dubai. One was constructed with conventional building materials. In the other, WACKER construction chemicals were used. This house was additionally equipped with an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS). Then both houses were equipped with air conditioning, programmed to run continuously to a preset interior air temperature of 23 °C.
Dimensions of each house: 3 m x 3 m, height 2.7 m, volume 24 m
Measured Data
Both houses were monitored over a period of twelve months. During this time, data were recorded continuously to determine:
- Energy consumption for both houses
- Interior temperature and humidity
- Atmospheric temperature and humidity
- Total volatile organic compound (VOC) content in both rooms, recorded by using an automatic recording unit
Groundbreaking Results
Test results showed impressively how WACKER construction chemicals can contribute to more sustainable, green building solutions in hot climates.
- Reduced total energy consumption:
The house insulated with ETICS consumed over 59% less energy than the non-insulated house. This translates to a reduction of almost 60% in carbon dioxide emissions. - Better indoor climate:
Despite the higher energy consumption, temperature in the non-insulated house rose repeatedly up to 28 °C whereas we measured 23 °C almost constantly in the insulated house. The same holds for humidity: the humidity level in the non-insulated house varied between 40% and 85%. The non-insulated house maintained humidity-levels between 70% and 80% most of the time: Peaks never fell below 60%.
- Better indoor air quality:
By using low-VOC paint based on WACKERs vinyl acetate-ethylene (VAE) technology and WACKER silicone sealants, VOC emissions could be reduced to less that 0.800 ppm maximum and less than 0.500 ppm on average. - Reduced material consumption:
Using polymer-modified tile adhesives and renders reduced the use of construction materials. The consumption of tile adhesive, for instance, was cut by 55%. The use of SILRES® BS 6920 as an impregnating agent contributed to the durability of the flooring. - Increased durability of facades:
The application of silicone resin paints (SREP®) and PRIMIS® AF 1000 reduced dirt pickup by approximately 25% and maintained high color stability.
Take a guided tour through the model house!
The film clip explains the use and effects of the construction chemicals applied in the test houses.
