Design aid
Energy saving construction system
DurableSafe
Environment-friendly
Contents
1. The ProKoncept construction system3
2. Benefits of the ProKoncept construction system8
3. Background and quality policy10
4. Save useful room using ProKoncept11
5. Energy savings calculations12
6. Higher compressive strength14
7. Building physics documentation16
8. Vapour technology19
9. Building acoustics documentation21
10. Fire resistance documentation26
11. Support structure documentation28
12. A special solution: supplemental covering39
Dear Designer Partner,
You are looking at the ProKoncept Construction System's Design Aid that provides useful and indispensable advice for designing using our products.
We spend an increasingly higher part of our time, 70-80%, in confined spaces, and, within this, our time spent in flats is on the rise as well. This is why it is more and more important that interior spaces provide the best possible atmosphere at the lowest possible cost level. It is very difficult to meet both these criteria at the same time by “improving” on traditional technologies, new opportunities and new ways must be found.
In countries with a developed residence culture, massive structure construction methods based on various polystyrene foam technologies are rapidly gaining ground. The most important characteristics of these methods are that the microclimate of interior spaces have a better quality, operational costs of buildings are significantly lower while construction costs do not exceed those of traditional buildings either.
This is what the ProKoncept Energy Saving Construction System provides, and its further innumerable benefits are described in the pages that follow.
1. The ProKoncept Construction System
ProKoncept is basically characterised by the fact that any idea of designers and customers may be implemented using a single system.
The only design restriction is a raster of 5 cm horizontally and 25 cm vertically, however, it does not constitute a particular difficulty in everyday design work. It is not a problem to design walls connecting at various angles or covering of any span, either.
Elements of the ProKoncept Construction System are made from high-solidity Neopor and EPS polystyrene hard foam. A complete system consists of three elements: wall, covering and roof elements.
a. ProKoncept wall structure
Based on: heat insulating permanent formwork made from Neopor.
Elements can be clicked together without any adhesive or other agent like LEGO blocks. Following connection, it is required to fill concrete in elements, which creates a concrete core of 14 cm between two heat insulating layers of 6 cm outside and 5 cm inside (for ProKoncept Classic). Heat transmission coefficient of the 25-cm-thick wall is excellent, U=0.24 W/m2K, which can be improved up to a value of 0.11 W/m2K by selecting thicker elements.
In addition to the various wall elements, bridging, crown, angle, corner and wall terminating elements complete the wall system, thereby providing a heat bridge free solution covering all wall structure elements and fitting in the same system
Wall element / Wall terminating elementCorner element / Angle element
Room for engineering ducts and pipes can be cut in the internal Neopor layer afterwards, without dust or noise, using a heat knife.
ProKoncept 30 U=0.19 W/m•Kinternal heat insulation / concrete core / external heat insulation (cm)
5 / 15 / 10
height / length (cm)
25 / 100 /
ProKoncept 35 U=0.15 W/m•K
internal heat insulation / concrete core / external heat insulation (cm)
5 / 15 / 15
height / length (cm)
25 / 100 /
ProKoncept 40 U=0.11 W/m•K
internal heat insulation / concrete core / external heat insulation (cm)
5 / 15 / 20
height / length (cm)
25 / 100 /
b. ProKoncept slab
ProKoncept slabs have flat surfaces on the top and the bottom, they are slab-and-beam, T-beam monolithic reinforced concrete structures. Their geometrical shape is secured by polystyrene elements as permanent formwork. Covering is custom manufactured for each building, adapted to the most extraordinary demands.
The covering system is suitable to bridge a span of 10 m, its transport and placement does not require a crane, covering spans are not restricted. They require rarefied wooden or adjustable metal shuttering as support.
The slab's own weight of 325-533 kg/m2 – depending on its thickness – can be used excellently for ulterior covering reinforcement, renovations or load-sensitive investments.
The use of a special supplemental covering is ideal for building up lofts.
Similarly to all other elements of the technology, covering structures are free of heat bridges.
c. ProKoncept roof elements
Structurally, ProKoncept roof elements are comparable to a Neopor heat insulation of an average thickness of 15 cm, and are installed above rafters, at the external side of roof structures, therefore, different indices of rafters cannot create a heat bridge. From the aspect of architecture, a visible trussing loft is obtained internally. Thanks to its use, the layers and work phases – roof lathing, insulation – between traditional tile and trussing can be eliminated:
Roof elements contain specially designed tile holders. Elements may be used for tiles with a batten distance of 33-34 cm or cogged tiles (batten distance: 16-18 cm) alike. Thanks to their outstanding load-bearing capacity, they may be used for concrete tile coverings as well.
With its average thickness of 15 cm, Neopor ensures perfect heat insulation for roofs.
Using this method, roofs with visible beams can be implemented at a significantly simplier since no “double” carpenter's work is needed.
The time required to implement a roof is reduced by about half, its insulation will also be free of heat bridges and ventillation between insulation and tiles will be ensured.
ProKoncept roof elements can be used for roof inclinations between 22 and 45º
2. Benefits of the ProKoncept construction system
Agreeable atmosphere. Thanks to the altogether 11-25-cm-thick Neopor layer and the concrete core, buildings are perfectly insulated and internal wall surfaces remain at room temperature. As a result, there is no temperature difference between the middle of rooms and walls, that is, no significant internal air movement is produced. Also, Neopor's air permeability contributes to an agreeable atmosphere: concentration of moisture produced in rooms do not increase, walls “breathe” in a natural manner. Plasterboard used as internal cover can further help maintain even moisture.
Warm in winter, cool in summer. Traditional external insulating materials prevent heat from leaving internal spaces, which is very advantageous in winter. However, external wall surfaces may heat up to 70 ºC, and traditional single-layer external insulation lets heat through under these circumstances. However, thanks to the Neopor insulation at both sides, the temperature of internal wall surfaces only increase by 1-2 ºC and, in this manner, ProKoncept houses stay pleasantly cool in summer.
Low construction and maintenance costs.Energy prices are globally on the rise – rapidly and on the long run, and also, this is one of the most significant factors of family budgets. ProKoncept Energy Saving Construction System has such a low heat transmission coefficient (U=0.24-0.11 W/m2K) that houses using it need 50-70% less energy for heating. Moreover, construction costs are reduced when a ProKoncept house is built: it can be built easily and quickly, no separate insulation is needed and, due to the significantly lower heat loss, smaller boilers and radiators are required.
Sufficient space.The heat transmission coefficient of a 25-cm-thick wall is comparable to that of a 60-cm-thick frame ceramics wall.As a result, thanks to the size of ProKoncept walls, significantly more useful internal space is obtained for the same gross area. For a detached house, this can mean a further room (bedroom, storage room, bathroom, etc.). In this manner, customers can obtain more for the same selling costs. Major investments can be made more profitable: for a condominium of about 20-25 flats, the area of a full flat can be reclaimed.
Quick and clean construction. These “LEGO-like” elements do not require any adhesive, they can be connected by clicking them together, and it is easy to fill concrete in finished frames – one floor can be walled in one or two days on an average. Place of engineering ducts can be cut from the wall afterwards in a matter of some hours using a heat knife. The construction site remains clean, work is free of noise or debris.
Healthy, safe and environment-friendly. Both polystyrene and Neopor are completely harmless to health. Polystyrene or Neopor do not cause any damage in the human organism, what is more, their combustion product is not poisonous either. It is not by chance that the most sensitive food products are packaged in this material. (According to regulations, it is forbidden to put e.g. fresh fish, butter or cream cakes in any packaging material containing a harmful substance, even if the concentration thereof is minuscule.)
Polystyrene heard foam is biologically neutral. For this reason, shredded foam is often used as soil thickener: through its use, plants obtain nutrients more easily, become healthier and grow faster. Also, it should not be neglected that, due to even insulation, there are no colder and warmer points on walls and therefore there is no condensation, walls do not become moist and no mildew grows on them. This is a great help to persons suffering from allergy. Good heat insulation also protects our environment: 50-70% less energy is used annually from our Earth's finite energy resources.
Durability. The oldest residential house built from the polystyrene system developed and improved in Germany – and also used by us – is 50 years old and not even the tiniest sign of ageing can be observed on the hard foam. During laboratory tests, circumstances comparable to a period of approximately 100 years spent outdoors were simulated and material quality did not deteriorate. Also, concrete is exposed to extreme temperatures – between -15 ºC and +60 ºC. In the course of time, cracks may appear, in which water ingresses, resulting in the flaking of mortar or other damages. ProKoncept structures' load-bearing concrete core is protected against high temperature differences and other damages caused by weather by a thick insulation. However, durability is limited by certain conditions and only valid in case of careful, professional and precise finishing.
ProKoncept buildings are massive and earthquake-proof since their cross-linked monolithic concrete structures resist movements of any direction.
3. Background and quality policy
The ProKoncept Construction System is based on a special expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), the first version of which was developed by BASF, Germany in 1951. Neopor foam is an improved version of this EPS foam, produced using a graphite additive.
Development of this construction system was sponsored by the German state, primarily due to its energy saving and environment-friendly character.
This special hard foam was improved since then and has been used in numerous countries from Canada to Iceland to Germany and Australia. During the last ten years, more than thousand buildings were built in Hungary using this method. The market leading distributor of this technology in Hungary is ProKoncept Zártkörűen Működő Részvénytársaság.
/ Elements of the ProKoncept Construction System have been inspected and recommended for use by the Hungarian Construction Quality Control Innovation company.4. Save useful room using ProKoncept
In the course of designing a building, one of the best economy indices is the proportion of useful basic surface to the gross basic surface of the building to be implemented. Area increase of houses designed and built using the ProKoncept Construction System is significant since the thickness of heat-insulated supporting walls is only 25 cm. Compared to traditional frame ceramics wall elements (with thicknesses varying between 38 and 44 cm), an area increase of 13-19 cm/linear metre is achieved. For instance, for a condominium with a basic surface of 1000 m2, the area increase at external surrounding walls is approximately 40 m2 per floor using ProKoncept wall elements. For a four-storey building, this figure is multiplied by four, yielding a basic surface of 160 m2 that the investor can sell additionally, thereby significantly increasing its profit.
An increase of useful area by 5-10 m2 is not a negligeable factor for lots of small basic surface where the area that can be built up is often highly restricted.
The figures below show how much additional area is gained for a building of a gross basic surface of 114 m2 if the ProKoncept system is used, as opposed to frame ceramics wall elements of 38 and 44 cm.
Built-up gross basic surface is 114 m2 in all three cases.
ProKoncept wall elementsUseful basic surface: 98.44 m2 / Brick of 38 cm
Useful basic surface: 90.87 m2 / Brick of 44 cm
Useful basic surface: 87.47 m2
It shows very well how net basic surface of a building is significantly increased by the use of the ProKoncept system, due to its lower wall thickness.
Net area increase compared to frame ceramics of 38 cm for 114 m2: 7.57 m2
Net area increase compared to frame ceramics of 44 cm for 114 m2: 10.97 m2
5. Energy savings calculations
/ Excellent heat-insulating capability is one outstanding characteristic of the ProKoncept Construction System. Structurally, ProKoncept walls consist of an external Neopor heat insulation of 6 cm and an internal one of 5 cm, with a layer of concrete of 14 cm (for ProKoncept Classic) in between. This concrete layer in the middle assumes the load-bearing function of the wall structure and, at the same time, provides for its heat storing capacity.Heat transmission coefficient of ProKoncept Classic walls:
U= 0.24-0.11 W/m2K, which value is considered one of the best among massive structures today.
In the following, we present you how much energy and costs can be saved thanks to the exceptional heat insulation and heat storage for the same basic surface if the ProKoncept Construction System is used.
Our calculations are based on a detached house of a basic area of 150 m2, with ground-floor and loft, with door and window surfaces of 21.96 m2 and an internal height of 2.70 m (plastic doors and windows and 1.3 glass).
ProKoncept Classic walls with external mortar and internal plasterboardProKoncept heat-insulated covering
ProKoncept roof elements with Bramac covering
Plastic doors and windows with three chamber profiles, 1.3 glass / Frame ceramics wall elements of 38 cm with external and internal lime mortar
Beam covering with frame ceramics filler
Traditional wooden carpenter's work structure with mineral wool heat insulation of 12 cm
Transmission heat requirement:Qt = 4144 WQt = 9920 W
Filtration heat requirement:Qf = 3380 WQf = 3380 W
Significant heat loss:Qm = 7524 WQm = 13300 W
Legend: 1-Qt, 2-Qf, 3-Qm
Tégla / BrickYearly heating energy requirement:36354 MJ / year71100 MJ / year
Yearly natural gas requirement:1334 m2/ year2615 m2/year
m3/év / m3/yearTégla / Brick
Éves fűtési energia igény / Yearly heating energy requirement
m3/év / m3/year
Tégla / Brick
Éves földgáz igény / Yearly natural gas requirement
It is visible that the same building can be heated by significantly less energy using ProKoncept structures. The heating energy savings achieved for this building: 1281 m2 of natural gas per year.
6. Higher compressive strength
It is an important characteristic of ProKoncept wall structures that – thanks to their 14 cm concrete core – they have a higher load-bearing capacity than other, usual construction systems. The inspection of the Construction Quality Control Innovation company qualified the ProKoncept wall structure as self-supported up to five storeys. This means that, in case a ground-floor plus four floors are built, there is no need to design and install a separate encased reinforced concrete structure and then prepare frame filling and heat insulation but it is possible to work with the ProKoncept wall elements in a single phase by installing reinforcements required statically in the inside of wall elements. This method yields a homogeneous, hidden reinforced concrete structure already insulated and, in this manner, no external heat insulation is required. This results in significant savings in time and costs.
For the sake of comparison, the table below presents limit stress values of several construction systems' walls:
Product / Limit stress of wall / Load-bearing capacity limit of 1 linear m wall of a height of 2.8 mf,H= / fH=kN/m (kg/m)
YTONG P2-05/300 N+F wall element / 0.5 / 110 kN/m (11000 kg/m)
YTONG P2-05/375 N+F wall element / 0.5 / 146 kN/m (14600 kg/m)
PTH 38 N+F wall element / 1.2 / 355 kN/m (35500 kg/m)
PTH 44 N+F wall element / 1 / 350 kN/m (35000 kg/m)
PTH 30 N+F wall element / 1.2 / 268 kN/m (26800 kg/m)
ProKoncept wall
C12-16/K min.
backfill concrete / concrete / = 6 N/mm2 / 288 kN/m
reinforced concrete / = 9 N/mm2 / 514 kN/m
Limit stress of wall H=N/mm2
The table shows that ProKoncept walls have a significantly higher load-bearing capacity, which is an immense advantage primarily for condominiums and multi-storey buildings. Higher load-bearing capacity is also a solution to support the load of higher covering spans since up to 10 m of covering span can be bridged in this manner – depending on the load. Limit stress values of walls show that ProKoncept walls are less likely to be damaged in case of an earthquake.
7. Building physics documentation
The most important characteristic of the ProKoncept Construction System is its, heat bridge free structure.
ProKoncept is a wall structure suitable to bear load, a multilayer wall in which load is borne by on-site filled and solidified concrete or reinforced concrete wall tables inside walls. This also provides heat storage capacity to walls while Neopor, covering both surfaces, provides for heat insulation as permanent formwork. The expanded Neopor foam, located on both wall planes, is connected by Neopor foam connecting elements through wall concrete and these ensure adequate connection strength.
These two heat insulation layers serve for improved heat insulation and an agreeable sensation of heat.
Thanks to the nut system, no heat bridges may occur at the connection of elements. Due to the technological fitting of insulation and concrete core, no air may remain between them and, therefore, no air flow causing heat loss is generated.