Title : PRECAST SANDWICH PANELS FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE BUILDINGS
Authors : Sharada Bai, H. (1) and Vishwanath, H. S. (2)
Publication : February 13-16, 2013
Volume :
Pages : 10-Jan
Price : 250
Abstract : Energy is becoming more expensive and people are realizing that saving energy is important. All over the world people are trying to adopt long term energy efficient options,from hybrid cars to energy-saving light bulbs. Nevertheless, badly insulated buildings are still being built. These buildings use a lot of energy for heating during winter and cooling during summer. There is increasing pressure from governments and the public to produce more energy efficient buildings; and regulations are being tightened in many countries. High performance buildings are designed to satisfy functional, human comfort, environmental and economic considerations. They incorporate the highest level of design, construction, operation and maintenance principles to provide maximum performance while meeting the owner?s project requirements. All the components of the building should be addressed in a cohesive, whole building approach, taking into account cost effectiveness- particularly life-cycle costs, sustainability, security and safety, accessibility, productivity of occupants, functionality and serviceability and aesthetics. In this paper, a relatively new type of insulating precast concrete wall panels is introduced. These Precast Concrete Sandwich Panels (PCSPs), combine the properties of lightweight insulating material and heavy/normal weight concrete. The paper briefly covers different systems of PCSPs, their constructional details, efficient thermal and acoustic performance characteristics and the manifold advantages offered by them in construction industry.