Thermal bridge assessment at industrial buildings

Abstract

It is well known that the thermal performance of a building is influenced by the solutions that define the building’s envelope. In the case of industrial buildings, due to the use of different envelope solutions (e.g. sandwich panels, prefabricated concrete panels etc.), the types of thermal bridge details are often different in comparison to those currently found in residential, office and administrative buildings. Thus, several numerical simulations were performed by analysing details of envelope elements identified at industrial buildings, especially the areas prone to intensified heat flow (joint areas, intersections, glazed surfaces, and others.). Therefore, the paper will present the assessment of thermal bridge details for four industrial buildings having various destinations. The effects of two-dimensional heat transfer in envelope elements, such as windows, walls, foundations, roofs and doors, will be evaluated. The impact of the thermal bridges will be measured by verifying to what extent the level of thermal performance of each envelope component meets the thermal resistance requirements, as well as the building envelope ensures the global heat transfer coefficient for each of the studied cases. A series of conclusions and recommendations will be provided for specialists and designers in the building energetics field.