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0.15 W/m2K, even good triple insulating can greatly impair the function and durability ents will determine the risk of condensate
lazing, inert gas-filled glazing or vacuum
g of structural components, increase heating forming inside exterior walls.
insulating glazing has U-values of around energy consumption, have negative ecologic Effective prevention of condensation is a fun-
0.6 W/m2K. In other words, nowhere near the al effects and be harmful to one’s health if damental precondition for ensuring both a
thermal values of the well-insulated exterior mould forms. facade’s durability and a healthy interior cli-
walls made of opaque building materials men- mate. We now know that mould can form even
tioned above. Standard commercially avail Protection from moisture in the absence of visible condensate, resulting
able window frames may well have U-values Exterior weather factors such as precipitation in critical surface temperatures being redefined
of > 1.0 W/m2K, so thermal weak points can and fluctuating extremes of temperature make in DIN 4108-8. The basic rule of construction in
easily develop around them. intensive demands on facades, which are also Central Europe is that the inside of a building
exposed to considerable loads from moisture should be more vapour-proof than the outside.
In joining window frames or frame profiles in hitting the splash water zone of the building’s This basic rule is reversed for warm, damp
glass facades to solid walls, details should plinth, damp from surrounding soil and humid- climates, where the outside should be more
be appropriately constructed to ensure that ity inside the building. vapour-proof than the inside.
thermal resistance is as consistently effective
as possible at every point in the facade to Water must not be allowed to penetrate struc- Condensate can form in multilayer glass
prevent thermal bridges and the risk of con- tures in and around closed facade surfaces facades when moist air inside cavities of the
densation forming. Planners should consider (such as plastered masonry), punctuated facade meets cold surfaces. The risk of this
factors such as heat transmission, convection facades and partitioned exterior wall struc- occurring can be reduced by improving the
and the exchange of long-wave radiation in tures (like glass facades). Any water that does quality of insulation between exterior layers
choosing the properties of materials, structural penetrate must be extracted in a controlled and ventilating the cavities [5].
components and connections. This is espe- manner. The moisture content of materials The demands on a facade’s moisture protec-
cially important in and around joints, at the sensitive to damp, such as certain insulating tion depend largely on the building’s usage
bonded edges of glazing and panels, and in materials and timber, must also be kept low. and technical equipment. Air in indoor swim-
the area of fastening elements because linear ming pools (and in winter in air-conditioned
or intermittent thermal bridges and leaks can As well as choosing adequate materials, plan- buildings generally), for example, is more
increase the risk of heat losses, condensation ners must make every effort to prevent ther- humid, increasing the risk of condensate
and mould formation. mal bridges in building facades because they forming.
are usually also weak points in terms of mois-
Horizontal and vertical corners, inside and ture and can pose an increased risk of con- One phenomenon often overlooked in planning
out, attics and footings, and projections and densate forming on interior surfaces and inside is the formation of condensate or hoar frost on
recesses in insulating and sealing layers are the facade. a facade’s exterior surface. This risk increases
in practice particularly critical, especially at with the quality of insulation and is especially
junctions between different types of facades The permeability to vapour of individual com- great with highly insulating panels and triple
and structures. ponents and the application of sealing meas- glazing, whose exterior surfaces barely warm
Mistakes made in planning or construction ures in and around joints and fastening elem up at all due to these units’ low heat transfer.
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