The exhibition sections at BAU 2015: Materials, technologies, systems – Part 3
Foto: The exhibition sections at BAU 2015: Materials, technologies, systems – Part 3
BAU 2015 is a 180,000 m² showcase of materials, technologies and systems – an area the size of 25 football pitches filled with state-of-the-art technology for the international building and construction industry. In a five-part series, we look at the main focuses in the individual sections at the show. In Part 3, the spotlight is on ceramics, wood and plastics and energy/building systems/solar technology.
Ceramics (Hall A4)
Fired clay is one of the oldest building materials used by man. Yet the innovations in this field keep on coming, and at BAU 2015 plenty of them will be on show. For example, ceramic tiles printed using the latest digital technology and offering superb design quality and scope. Natural, earthy effects are likely to still be in focus, but the charm of this technique is that it enables the inspiration sources not just to be copied, but to be subtly interpreted for ceramic application. The result is particularly good on large-format tiles, with side lengths of up to 120 cm: the trend towards XXL dimensions continues, while at the other extreme interest is still strong in intricate ceramic mosaics. In wall tiles the third dimension continues to offer interesting options, for example as regards sculptural reliefs. Other focal points are tiles for outdoor applications, ceramic facade systems and modular tile series which make it easy to create individual concepts, and provide a medium for color expression, an essential tool in creative architectural design. For even when subject to intense solar radiation or artificial lighting, tiles retain their color, there is no fading, no bleaching and no darkening. As well as aesthetic aspects functional solutions will also be presented, for example the latest innovative glaze finishes. Information on sanitation technology and accessories, fittings and accessories will also be on display in this section at BAU 2015.
Wood / Plastics (Hall B5)
Timber construction is going ever more in the direction of high-rises. The LifeCycle Tower – LCT ONE in Dornbirn, Austria, completed at the end of 2012 by Hermann Kaufmann ZT GmbH – is not only the first eight-story timber-framed building in Austria, it is also the prototype for the timber-frame construction system developed in the "LifeCycle Tower" research project. The wood and concrete composite ribbed floors were prefabricated, and rest on exposed glulam columns fabricated to take the calculated loads. The Canadian architect Michael Green aims to build even higher in wood: He has published plans to build a 30-story high-rise, called the Tallwood Tower, in Vancouver.
At BAU 2015 there will also be plenty of innovations on show in interiors, e.g. staircases and flooring. "Thanks to a wide range of different types and ranges of parquet, it is now possible to give a distinctive and individual look to almost every room," explains Michael Schmid, Chairman of the German Parquet Industry Association (Verband der Deutschen Parkettindustrie – vdp). Among the choices in three-ply parquet flooring, wide planks are particularly popular, as they can be used to achieve a very spacious effect in an interior. Visitors to BAU will also find many new products and ideas in timber derivatives, plastics, facade systems and accessories.
Energy / Building Systems / Solar technology (Hall B2)
Solar technology is becoming ever more important in building systems. For home-owners it is now more cost-effective to use the electricity they generate themselves rather than feeding it into the grid. Photovoltaic panels oriented east-west are increasingly attractive when it comes to maximizing own consumption, as they deliver electricity evenly over the course of the entire day. As a result many new surfaces and options are now being considered for generating electricity from solar energy.
Smart-home technology, as it is known, is designed for optimum coordination of own-generated electricity and overall electricity consumption. The devices that consume electricity are linked up in an intelligent system controlled by an "energy manager": The central control unit decides on just which devices will use the electricity being generated at any one particular time, in line with the consumption profile of the household. Via an internet connection, the system can even be controlled remotely by smartphone.
"Particular attention is being paid to solar energy in the context of insulation, and the generation and storage of renewable energy," says David Wedepohl of the German Solar Industry Association (Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft). Solar-energy storage devices are an ideal addition to a photovoltaic system, as they enable own-generated electricity to be used on a time-delayed basis. Alongside conventional lead batteries, the use of new storage technologies is spreading: lithium-ion batteries, for example, are electrically more efficient and offer more charge cycles. Increasingly we are now also seeing more use of solar power on historic buildings: Many churches, among them the Lutheran Church in Meissen, have already been fitted with photovoltaic panels. As well as new products and innovations in photovoltaics, solarthermal energy and solar architecture, the manufacturers at BAU 2015 will be presenting the latest developments in heating, cooling and air-handling technology.
