Cover Story: Rothoblaas

Sustainable building: why you should choose certified quality materials

The Rothoblaas range of tapes, sealants and membranes

Rothoblaas offers a range of innovative solutions to support the growth of the Passivhaus sector and provides quality products for the most ambitious of timber construction projects.

T

he comfort offered by timber construction depends on how well it is sealed and waterproofed. Quality construction limits heat loss from the interior during winter and prevents interstitial condensation and the choice of the right membranes and adhesive tapes for roofs is important to guarantee the correct functionality of the building and favours the best thermo-regulation.

Anyone who has ever been part of a building project knows that qualified products are fundamental to its success. The essence of construction is to last long and be efficient: no wonder that nowadays the quality of a building is measured by its durability and effectiveness, and this inevitably starts from the quality of the materials used.

Passivhaus approach

Passivhaus, as a scientific certification protocol for low-energy buildings, was founded at the end of the last century in Germany with the aim of identifying a building model that could guarantee excellent energy performance and high comfort throughout its life.

To build according to the passive building criteria does not necessarily mean building according to one certain certification protocol. The design phase plays a major role in the definition of a building, in fact, the most important certifications concern design development processes and not later certifications. A designer who aims at achieving very high energy performance standards must inevitably respect certain rules and criteria that have now become the milestones of every certification protocol and have been developed over the years by theorists and researchers in the sector.

In recent years, the world of timber homes has seen numerous innovations in the field of energy efficiency with passive construction now a well-tested construction concept and can be applied by anyone, anywhere. The certification of a product, especially when carried out on a voluntary basis, is a formal act through which a company states, with reasonable reliability, that a product conforms to a declared standard and is therefore suitable to achieve excellent quality standards. Passivhaus components certification is exactly this – a seal of quality that helps designers in choosing the materials to use for their projects.

Rothoblaas-certified products and their strengths

SPEEDY BAND: The tape ensures excellent adhesion and resistance. Applicable both indoors and outdoors, it guarantees fast and safe sealing on the most common substrates. It is free of separating film, for extremely quick installation and real savings on costs for the disposal of construction site waste. It has excellent mechanical tensile strength thanks to the reinforcement mesh.

FLEXI BAND: This polyacrylate tape ensures excellent adhesion strength and resistance on all surfaces. The special adhesive compound guarantees functionality even in non-optimal conditions, for example on very porous, dusty, or humid surfaces. The wider versions are perfect for sealing chimneys, windows, membranes to plaster or concrete and many other applications. FLEXI BAND is the perfect tape for anyone looking for a universal product of extraordinary quality.

SEAL BAND: is the acrylic tape that adheres effectively to all types of wood, for any sealing inside the building envelope. It is available in versions with liner divided into two or three parts, it simplifies the laying on edges, corners and any other critical node, while the impregnated paper support guarantees great workability and quick installation. SEAL BAND is the tape that simplifies any complex sealing.

CLIMA CONTROL 80: is a variable diffusion membrane. It has variable resistance to vapor diffusion, which results in maximum protection within

the walls and excellent safety in insulation. It is ideal for increasing the energy performance of packages and solutions in the renovation of existing structures and is easy to install thanks to its transparency. It regulates the passage of water vapor according to climate and humidity.

TRASPIR 110: is a highly breathable membrane. The three layers of the synthetic membrane can be applied directly on the outmost side of the walls, right after the heat insulation on the walls. The added value of Passivhaus-certified components, as in the case of a membrane for a building’s airtightness, is hands down its total independence from climatic zones. The quality of a component suitable to the highest standard of passive buildings is guaranteed regardless of the place where the building we are planning will be built. Therefore, the standard is internationally recognised as a mark of quality. We are very proud to have obtained BBA certification for one of our breathable membranes, TRASPIR 95. We are working on getting this certification for more products. In the era of major climate change, design must also have a say in energy saving, comfort, and sustainability.

Rothoblaas and EPD: knowing our products’ environmental impact

Environmental sustainability is an increasingly central issue in the construction sector, and it has been considered in our company for a long time. Although timber construction is in many respects more sustainable than other building systems, an assessment of the impacts linked to the entire life cycle of the products is still necessary in order to make an objective comparison between different building systems. A suitable tool for this is the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).

Why is an EPD useful?

Designers: who want to make a good design of the building also from the environmental point of view. Because only through an EPD it is possible to know the environmental profile of a product and make reliable comparisons between two products from the environmental point of view.

Customers: who want to know the impact of the product on the environment or stimulate awareness of the choices made by the manufacturer during its production.

Manufacturers: as they acquire an awareness of the production phases that have the greatest impact on the environment of their products.

The Market: because to build ‘green’ buildings we need data on which to make choices. Without the study of the lifecycle of the product and without an EPD these would not be available.

It’s important because only after an assessment based on reliable and recognised tools such as EPD we can talk about the sustainability of a product without risking unfounded statements. In fact, it is impossible to determine in advance if, from an environmental point of view, one product is better than another as every assumption is personal and can lead to incorrect interpretations. Following the process that leads to the EPD avoids all this, returning verified, exploitable, and comparable data to the client.

Where I can find them?

Valid EPDs can be browsed in the archives of the various Program Operators available on the market, among which there are often mutual

recognitions that allow an EPD published in one country to acquire visibility in another. It is understood that the EPD, being a document independently verified and drawn up according to an ISO standard, is already valid and usable worldwide.

This is a voluntary initiative, not obligatory by law, which we have decided to implement to know the environmental impact of our products and to allow the designer to have an accurate idea of the ecological footprint of the building he is designing.

FLEXI BAND

SPEEDY BAND CLIMA CONTROL 80 SEAL BAND - timber frame private structure renovated © Letts Buildings Services

An EPD contains transparent, comparable, and independently verified information about the life cycle environmental impact of the product to which it relates. The EPD is the final document that shows the data of the product’s lifecycle assessment (LCA) and allows the assessment of the environmental performance of the product by studying all the steps it goes through during its life cycle from an environmental point of view.

What does having an EPD mean?

For the product, it means having studied its production process from an environmental perspective having analysed every aspect of it, from the raw material input to its disposal. For a manufacturer, it means being aware of the type of information needed to make a lifecycle analysis, how to find the information, and how each production and management aspect of the product influences its environmental impact. Following this, improvement actions can be identified to make production and product management even more efficient. You can find our EPDs on our website in the Technical Insights section. Interested in gaining proficiency with airtightness? Practical training can be arranged with your local representative. Get in touch at  UnitedKingdom@rothoblaas.com