In order to create a retirement home for their parents in familiar surroundings, a young couple from North Rhine-Westphalia decided to convert a vacant stable building on their family-owned square farm into an age-appropriate, barrier-free residential unit. The major challenge in partially renovating the listed building was to preserve the originality of the structure while also meeting the latest energy standards. KlimaTec interior insulation boards from Erfurt & Sohn proved to be an economical and functional interior insulation solution.
The charming white brick square courtyard has been owned by the family since the mid-19th century. "Originally built as a residence for the estate managers, the buildings have only been inhabited by our family for one generation. However, in order to be able to use the property as a multi-generational residence, we needed a barrier-free living unit," says the client. The family found sufficient space for this in a west-facing former horse and deep-bedding stable with a ceiling height of over 3.5 metres and romantic arched windows.
Structural challenges with interior insulation
The renovation began with the demolition of an external staircase facing the inner courtyard and included the construction of a floor slab with steel support foundations and the installation of a suspended ceiling in the future kitchen area. In addition, various partition walls were erected to adapt the floor plan to the living requirements. Finally, special attention was paid to the energy-efficient renovation of the existing building. Since it was clear that the appearance of the exterior walls of the listed farmstead could not be changed, external insulation was out of the question – energy losses through the exterior walls could therefore only be reduced from the inside. Moisture was identified as an additional challenge. ‘When looking for an internal insulation solution, it was important to us to have very good moisture regulation,’ recalls the client. As the wall structure was not only very thick at 53 cm, but also extremely uneven, 5 cm of levelling plaster was applied first. ‘For us, however, this also meant that every centimetre of wall structure on the inside would result in a loss of living space.’ The window renovation was also challenging, as certain requirements had to be observed and the historic brick lintels had to be retained despite the installation of modern single-sash windows. Last but not least, the existing round elements had to be taken into account when sealing the cap ceiling at the top. ‘In our search for an interior insulation system that met all our requirements, we came across the KlimaTec system from Erfurt & Sohn. Based on the expert assessment of our energy consultant and in close consultation with the specialists at Erfurt, we decided to use KlimaTec IP 3500+ interior insulation boards.’
Energy efficient: Erfurt KlimaTec
‘What makes KlimaTec panels so special is their highly effective insulation values compared to other products,’ explains Stefan Hunke, Head of Construction Products at Erfurt. ‘KlimaTec improves transmission loss through walls by up to 50 per cent. At just 3.5 cm thick, IP 3500+ achieves the U-value of other materials with a significantly thicker structure.’ Conversely, this means that the required energy performance is achieved with a minimum of additional wall thickness – simply leaving more living space. In the former stable, which has been converted into a barrier-free building, around 240 square metres of wall surface were lined with IP 3500+. Thanks to their effective insulation function, the panels significantly reduce the flow of heat to the outside. This meant that, with relatively little effort, an effective improvement in the building's thermal resistance was achieved without any significant loss of living space.
Healthy indoor climate
The expected increase in surface temperature on the inside of the walls is approximately +6 °C. On the subject of dew point displacement due to lower temperatures behind the insulation board, Hunke points out a significant advantage of the KlimaTec system: "The interior insulation boards are diffusion-open and capillary-conductive. Moisture contained in the masonry can therefore diffuse out without any problems. Any moisture peaks that occur are temporarily stored and gradually released back into the room air by capillary action." In addition, the boards have a high drying potential, so there is no need to worry about permanently damp wall surfaces – ideal conditions for a healthy indoor climate. Good to know: Due to its measured product properties, the IP 3500+ does not require condensation testing in accordance with DIN 4108-3.
Advantages in installation
The properties of the interior insulation boards brought further advantages for both the builders and the users. ‘We were amazed at how quickly the professionals had the boards on the wall,’ said the builder. ‘It took just five days to install the entire surface.’ The reason: KlimaTec panels are easy to cut to size by hand, allowing for a perfect fit around arches, window reveals and other features in no time at all. Added to this is the structure of the panels themselves: ‘The IP 3500+ is a two-component panel consisting of a layer of expanded glass granulate on an insulating fleece,’ explains Hunke. ‘While the insulation layer of other systems often requires additional steps, such as the installation of reinforcement or additional insulation fleece, our panels allow tradespeople to install interior insulation in just one step.’ In this project, the KlimaTec panels were installed using the buttering-floating method, i.e. the recommended SR 6 system adhesive was applied to both the substrate and the panels at the same time and combed with a notched trowel. The double application of adhesive made it possible to compensate for any unevenness that may still have been present on the existing interior wall.
Ready to move in!
Once installed, residents benefit from the versatile design options offered by the Erfurt system. The expanded glass granulate side of the IP panels facing the interior is also a perfectly prepared substrate for any type of finish. Whether wallpaper or plaster, white or coloured – all design options are open. The fact that the panels also have a high recycled content due to the use of waste glass and recycled PET bottles in their manufacture completes the positive feeling.
‘We are very happy with the result,’ sums up the client. ‘Thanks to the professional advice and support from Erfurt & Sohn, our construction project went smoothly. Our expectations for the interior insulation measure were thus absolutely met.’
More at www.klimatec.pro
At a glance: Advantages of KlimaTec IP 3500+
- High thermal insulation
- Improvement in transmission loss through walls by up to 50%
- Low layer thickness of only 3.5 cm = no significant loss of living space
- Diffusion-open, capillary-conductive
- High drying potential of the panels
- Mechanically very simple and quick to process
- No mathematical condensation verification according to DIN 4108 required
- Direct, versatile design options, e.g. can be wallpapered
