INEGI tests composite wall panels in «living laboratories» across Europe

A new wall panel made of composite materials, created by INEGI, promises to be a light constructive solution for greater thermal and acoustic comfort inside buildings. The prototype created by the Institute's team will be tested in various «living laboratories», having already been installed in Dresden, Germany, and Amposta, Spain.

"By being introduced into a real building, but in a controlled environment, it will be possible to analyze the performance of the prototype in terms of its durability, thermal and acoustic efficiency", explains Susana Sousa, responsible for the project at INEGI.

"The solution we created is lighter, multifunctional and sustainable" than conventional solutions for façade walls, such as double brick walls or concrete walls, says Susana Sousa. This is because it is a "composite sandwich panel, made up of several layers of different materials, which allow a set of functions to be obtained, such as self-supporting capacity, self-cleaning, thermal and acoustic insulation”, she explains.

The product was created within the scope of an European project that aims to boost the creation of new material solutions to improve sustainability and energy efficiency in buildings of the future.

INEGI is one of 27 partners, and is already working on creating new prototypes to be tested in «living laboratories» in other parts of Europe, as it is essential to test materials in different climate zones.

The "iclimabuilt - Functional and advanced insulating and energy harvesting/storage materials across climate adaptive building envelopes" project is co-funded under Horizon 2020, the European Union's research and innovation programme.