2007 - Messe Essen

14 | title ConstruCtion
Rhine-Westphalia alone, nearly 9,000 heat pumps
were installed, almost doubling the overall number
currently in use. Across the country, growth rates of up
to 140 per cent are being forecast. Heat pumps have
become so popular with customers that the number of
new installations this year is set to exceed the total
number in Sweden, the model country for the sector.
Currently in Sweden, the market share lies at 90 per
cent for newly built detached homes, and even the royal
household is heated in this fashion.
The current acquisition targets of industry giants
show just how lucratively strategists judge the energysaving
heating technology sector to be. Danfoss, for
example, has declared its goal of becoming Europe’s
leading manufacturer of heat pumps; by mid-2007 it
had already acquired five producers in the sector.
Viessmann has set its current takeover focus on manufacturers
of wood-burning boilers. The controlled ventilation
of living space also yields energy-saving potential.
This system no longer releases the warmth into the
atmosphere, but redirects into the fresh air via heat
exchangers. This has become a concept which no energy-efficient
home can do without.
Inventiveness is rewarded
When investments in the future pay off, innovative
enterprises are rewarded. At present, inventiveness and
resourcefulness are in demand. For its part, Siemens
currently spends half of its 5.7 billion euros research
budget on climate protection projects. A glimpse into the
industry shows what smart minds have invented. For
example, every ray of sun that shines on façades and
windows without being utilised squanders energy. The
key phrase here is building integration – which means
semi-transparent photovoltaic cells, which are integrated
into the glass, covering façades and replacing
sun-shade systems. For instance, Schüco recently formed
a partnership with the E.ON Group at two locations
The Taj Mahal at
Berlin’s Central Station?
In 2007, the Indian artist
Sudarsan Pattnaile created
this homage to one of the
most beautiful examples
of Islamic art in the German
capital.
in Germany to develop and produce thin-film technology
for a broader market. Flexible solar modules are currently
in production: in Frankfurt/Oder, the new firm
Odersun Fotovoltaik is using copper strips. And instead
of mounting solar collectors as boxes, solar power technology
can now be integrated invisibly into metal roofs
using systems such as those marketed by Rheinzink.
The struggle for lower “U-values” (i.e., for better insulation)
has led to an increasing number of building blocks
being “filled” – no air chamber remains unused. A speciality
product here is aerated concrete stone, such as that
offered by H+H: thanks to mini balls of wax, it achieves
double the energy storage capacity at the same thickness.
And those who build walls from spectacular “light-transmitting
concrete”, manufactured by Finacon or Luccon,
can light up their interiors without integrating windows.
Sensational heat conductance values
Another new product in the insulation sector is causing
a sensation: vacuum isolation panels (VIPs), such as
those offered by Porextherm and Variotec, achieve
phenomenal heat conductance values. VIPs offer several
times the performance of the best insulation materials –
they are five to ten times thinner yet offer the same levels
of insulation – and function similar to a thermos
flask.
Instead of lamenting the state of affairs, the industry
is thus reacting with inventiveness and innovation.
Finally, the engineers seem to be saying, we can
once again reinvent the wheel. Enterprises are in vesting
heavily in research. In this way, the fight against
climate change could not only spur growth in the
con struction industry, but also spark off more innovative
and intelligent technology. And this technology
is something that we will profit from – even when it has
long since been taken for granted that buildings can
also prove themselves in terms of their energy-saving
capabilities. �