Insights

Protecting health and the environment while minimising operational costs: sustainable construction is becoming more important. Kaimann now provides optimal support in achieving building certifications like DGNB or BREEAM: the Institut Bauen und Umwelt (Institute for Construction and Environment, IBU) is preparing Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for the Kaiflex product range. These EPDs will make Kaimann insulation materials’ ecological balance even more transparent.

Dependable fire protection to material class C_L-s2, d0 – this is what Kaimann’s new Kaiflex HT s2 offers, which goes on the market on 1 June 2021 and replaces Kaiflex HTplus. This insulation material develops only small amounts of smoke, is self-extinguishing and doesn’t drip off burning, and so in every category meets the requirements of the tightened definition of “flame retardant” products per the revised German Technical Building Rules (MVV TB). These mandate that flame retardant building products used in construction requiring approval, such as new construction or renovations and changes to existing structures, meet the new minimum requirement of C/C_L-s2, d0.

Learn which specific requirements you need to consider.

The requirements for sound insulation in buildings are stricter today than just a few years ago. Noise has been proven to be detrimental to relaxation and quality of life. Effective sound insulation and absorption add value to buildings, increase productivity and users’ well-being, and reduce stress-related health risks. Sound insulation should therefore be taken into consideration early on, especially for working areas and rooms meriting special protection.

Saint-Gobain has been named one of the world's 100 most innovative companies in the Clarivate Top 100 Global Innovator™ 2021 ranking for the tenth consecutive year. The ranking is established by studying the number of patents filed, but also the impact that a company’s inventions have on patent filings by others, the percentage of successful patent submissions, and the steps taken for legal protection of patents filed worldwide.

Safe fire seals for wall penetrations by pipes is a special challenge in planning fire protection systems. The right insulation needs to be identified for each requirement. The newly relaunched Fire Protection Configurator at www.sgti-firepenetration.com shows how easy it can be. The tool by Kaimann GmbH is offered free of charge and lets users calculate the optimum fire protection system for pipe penetrations in just a few clicks. It now includes the fire protection products of Saint-Gobain sister company ISOVER G+H AG. With this expanded tool the two companies are bundling their comprehensive knowledge of fire protection, to offer planners and installers a comprehensive and practical aid.

In Belgium, the Centre Hospitalier Chretien bundled the activities of three hospitals at one location. Building materials that meet high hygienic requirements were used in the newly created clinic.

With the optimized online calculation tool KaiCalc (www.kaicalc.com), Kaimann GmbH has again established and positioned a new insulation thickness calculator for technical insulation in heating and cooling applications. The technology is based on the proven TechCalc online tool by Saint-Gobain’s sister company Isover. KaiCalc offers a wide variety of thermal calculation scenarios, and after just a few inputs delivers reliable and detailed results including concrete, country-specific dimension recommendations. The calculation process is based on current technical standards and rules (DIN EN ISO 12241, VDI 2055 and C 680).

Saint-Gobain has once again been awarded “Global Top Employer” certification for the 6th consecutive year. Only 16 companies in the world have received this label.

The new town hall in Täby (Sweden) meets the very highest standards with regard to sustainability, as do the insulation materials used.

As a high-traffic healthcare building, the newly constructed Surgical Clinic at the University Hospital Heidelberg places special demands on the building materials used in terms of safety, fire protection, efficiency and hygiene.

The Kröller-Müller Museum houses valuable paintings by old and modern masters – and a comprehensively renovated HVAC system, which thanks to highly efficient insulation conserves energy by 20 percent.