Special Issue "External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS): Sustainable Technology for the Growth of a Resource-Efficient and Competitive Economy."

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Bartosz Michałowski
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research and Development Center Atlas, Lodz, Poland
Interests: green chemistry; sustainable development; sustainable building materials; external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS); life cycle assessment (LCA); environmental impacts; environmental product declarations (EPD); social responsibility

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are all facing adverse effects related to progressive environmental degradation. Protection and preservation of natural capital and care of people’s health and well-being, underlie the concept of sustainable development and represent some of the most critical challenges facing the world. Each day, we observe an unprecedented growth of interest in renewable resources and sustainable energyNevertheless, we still have to learn how to use them efficiently and responsibly.

As a result of social and political actions, construction has become a leading branch of the economy that impacts the issue of energy use and the minimization of greenhouse gas emissions. Without sustainable construction, there is no sustainable development. Unquestionably, buildings consume a significant amount of energy. Thus, investments in thermal insulation in the building sector can have an immense impact on the improvement of the energetic efficiency of buildings and reduce the use of final energy in this sector. The use of an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) is a solution for the thermal insulation of the outer walls of both new and existing buildings. ETICS is a kit composed of elements that consist of specifically manufactured prefabricated components being applied directly to the facade. The diversity of its application depends on the legal, urban, and climatic conditions. ETICS offers a simple solution when applied adequately: reduction of the heating/cooling cost, improvement of building the ability to heat accumulation, improved operation long-term durability, and protection against the direct influence of atmospheric conditions. 

In the European Union, ETICS is also a construction product within the Construction Products Regulation's meaning. Despite the importance of environmental issues and widespread use of ETICS, the number of scientific papers related to its sustainability, impact on pollution reduction, and use of energy are relatively small. This Special Issue welcomes general and specific contributions that address ETICS and its requirement for a circular economy strategy and supporting consumer decision-making processes.

The primary focus of this Specials Issue is to present state-of-the-art ETICS design and highlight the most challenging aspects related to its impact on the energetic efficiency, environment, society, and comfort of living. Special attention will be paid to those contributions that consider the disadvantages and advantages of methods used to compare ETICS environmental impacts and assess its long-term durability and performance. 

Dr. Bartosz Michałowski
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cost-effectiveness
  • decision-making
  • energy efficiency
  • environmental benefits
  • environmental impacts
  • environmental product declarations (EPD)
  • external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS)
  • insulation materials
  • life cycle assessment (LCA) long-term durability
  • performance
  • raw materials
  • sustainability
  • sustainable design
  • sustainable renovation

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Article
Resistance of ETICS with Fire Barriers to Cyclic Hygrothermal Impact
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9220; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169220 - 17 Aug 2021
Viewed by 255
Abstract
The article presents the results of a set of hygrothermal experiments of an external wall insulated with an ETICS. As an add-on to previous studies, thermal insulation in the form of polystyrene with an additional horizontal strip of mineral wool was used. Laboratory [...] Read more.
The article presents the results of a set of hygrothermal experiments of an external wall insulated with an ETICS. As an add-on to previous studies, thermal insulation in the form of polystyrene with an additional horizontal strip of mineral wool was used. Laboratory tests were carried out in accordance with ETAG 004. The ETICS test rig was composed of combustible expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) and horizontal strips of noncombustible mineral wool (MW) fire barriers over windows. The physical and mechanical properties of four types of finishing renders (without an additional reinforcement mesh in base coat of the fire barriers) were analyzed across full hygrothermal cycles in a climate chamber. Temperature sensors were mounted onto different ETICS layers to collect thermal data during the weathering. The testing of ETICS regarding their hygrothermal performance revealed that there were no visible defects on any renderings and over the junctions depending on the type of used insulation materials. Results also showed that the joints of EPS and MW have approximately half of their bond strength from polystyrene strength. Full article
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Article
Condition-Based Maintenance Strategies to Enhance the Durability of ETICS
Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6677; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126677 - 11 Jun 2021
Viewed by 530
Abstract
The increase of awareness with sustainability and the desire of reducing the energy consumption in the construction sector haved increased the application of External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) across Europe in the last decades. Nevertheless, the implementation of appropriate maintenance strategies is [...] Read more.
The increase of awareness with sustainability and the desire of reducing the energy consumption in the construction sector haved increased the application of External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) across Europe in the last decades. Nevertheless, the implementation of appropriate maintenance strategies is still neglected. The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of different maintenance strategies. For that purpose, a condition-based maintenance model, based on Petri nets, is used to evaluate three maintenance strategies: MS1—total replacement only; MS2—combination of minor intervention and total replacement; and MS3—combination of cleaning operations, minor intervention, and total replacement. In the end, a multi-criteria analysis is used to discuss the impact of the three maintenance strategies proposed, evaluating the remaining service life, the global costs over time, the ETICS’ degradation condition, and the number of replacements (end of service life) over the time horizon. For this purpose, a sample of 378 ETICS was analysed, based on in situ visual inspections, carried out in Portugal. The results from this study reveal that maintenance plays an important role to increase the durability of ETICS, and therefore their sustainability. Regular maintenance can promote the extension of the ETICS’s service life between 88% and 159% (between 15 to 27 years), improve the global degradation condition of the ETICS, and reduce the impact on users by reducing the number of deeper interventions. Further research is essential to optimise the maintenance strategies (time interval between inspections, stakeholders’ performance criteria, and environmental exposure). Full article
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Article
Environmental Footprint of Cementitious Adhesives—Components of ETICS
Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 8998; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12218998 - 29 Oct 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 615
Abstract
Energy saving is one of the strategic challenges facing our civilization today. Without decisive actions to reduce energy consumption, it is impossible to maintain the current standard of living. Energy consumption for heating and cooling purposes is one of the primary energy consumption [...] Read more.
Energy saving is one of the strategic challenges facing our civilization today. Without decisive actions to reduce energy consumption, it is impossible to maintain the current standard of living. Energy consumption for heating and cooling purposes is one of the primary energy consumption sources in many countries. The external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS), which is today the most widely used solution in EU countries, increases buildings’ energy efficiency. This article investigates the impact of producing cementitious adhesives, as part of ETICS with expanded polystyrene (EPS) or mineral wool (MW), on the natural environment using the cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) method. Cementitious adhesives have a relatively low impact on most of the environmental indicators analyzed in the paper concerning other ETICS components. The paper aims to raise awareness of the importance of the environmental impact related to the production of cementitious adhesives. Knowledge of the construction products’ environmental impact is fundamental for creating reliable databases, based on which, in the future, their environmental requirements will be determined. The environmental performance of building elements is essential for the correct determination of the buildings’ sustainability. Full article
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