ᐅ Which Solid Wall Type? – Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC), Lightweight Aggregate Concrete, or Clay Brick?
Created on: 9 Jun 2012 13:30
B
badman42Hello everyone,
I want to build a solid masonry house.
The following materials are under consideration:
- Ytong (aerated concrete)
- Liapor (good insulation, but poor soundproofing)
- Brick
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each option?
Do I have a chance to achieve a KfW 55 standard?
I am willing to accept a wall thickness of up to 49cm (19 inches), but I do not want full thermal insulation on the exterior.
Thanks for your responses and tips...!
I want to build a solid masonry house.
The following materials are under consideration:
- Ytong (aerated concrete)
- Liapor (good insulation, but poor soundproofing)
- Brick
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each option?
Do I have a chance to achieve a KfW 55 standard?
I am willing to accept a wall thickness of up to 49cm (19 inches), but I do not want full thermal insulation on the exterior.
Thanks for your responses and tips...!
B
Bauexperte9 Jun 2012 14:19Hello,
Aerated Concrete (Ytong is a 'manufacturer')
This is a highly thermally insulating solid building material, which, due to its closed-cell pore structure, can fulfill both structural and building physics functions—usually without additional measures or supplementary materials. It is made from local raw materials and features the virtually unlimited lifespan typical of solid construction materials.
Thermal Insulation:
Aerated concrete is the only solid building material with a thermal conductivity starting at 0.09 W/(mK) in the density classes 0.30, 0.35, and 0.40. This means: A single-layer wall 30 cm (12 inches) thick already provides a thermal transmittance coefficient (U-value) of 0.28 W/(m²K). With a wall thickness of 36.5 cm (14.4 inches), the U-value decreases to 0.23. In exterior wall applications, these values meet and even exceed the requirements of the energy saving regulations (building permit / planning permission) without additional insulation. Moreover, the uniform wall construction allows for nearly thermal bridge-free designs. A single-layer plastered aerated concrete wall is considered airtight in terms of energy saving regulations without additional measures.
Thermal Storage:
The thermal storage capacity of aerated concrete lies between the extremes of lightweight construction (e.g., timber frame construction at approximately 50 kJ/m²K) and massive construction (e.g., masonry or reinforced concrete at about 250 kJ/m²K). The value for an aerated concrete wall is around 90 kJ/m²K.
Thermal Conductivity:
Due to its very low thermal conductivity of 0.09 W/(mK), aerated concrete used in monolithic construction can meet the requirements of energy saving regulations. A multi-layer construction, as is common with other materials for exterior walls, is not necessary.
Vapor Diffusion Resistance:
Because of its porous structure, the water vapor diffusion resistance factor of aerated concrete is low, ranging between µ = 5 and µ = 10.
Building Biology:
Aerated concrete is produced from a natural raw material that is chemically and mineralogically transformed. This process creates a product generally superior to the natural raw materials and better suited for constructing buildings with high standards for healthy living conditions.
Sound Insulation:
Aerated concrete challenges the basic physical principle “the heavier the component, the better the airborne sound insulation” because its pore structure provides internal damping. The DIN 4109 standard acknowledges this: aerated concrete walls with a surface mass up to 250 kg/m² (51 lb/ft²) receive a 2 dB bonus. Recent component tests even indicate further improvements. With walls and solid roofs made of aerated concrete, all exterior noise levels can be adequately acoustically protected. According to suitability test III for DIN 4109, double-leaf party walls made of aerated concrete with 17.5 cm (6.9 inches) PP4-0.6 blocks and a 50 mm (2 inches) cavity, fully filled with mineral insulation, even meet the requirements for increased sound insulation.
Fire Protection:
Aerated concrete offers reliable fire safety. It is a mineral building material and non-combustible. According to DIN 4102, it is classified as building material class A1 and can be used for all fire resistance ratings from 30 minutes up to 180 minutes (F30 to F180), depending on the design. Even a 7.5 cm (3 inches) thick unplastered, non-load-bearing aerated concrete wall meets all requirements of fire resistance class F90. Walls from 24 cm (9.5 inches) thickness made from PP 2-0.4 aerated concrete are considered firewalls. Ceilings and roofs made from aerated concrete also meet fire resistance classes from F30 to F180.
Expanded Clay Aggregate (Liapor) Lightweight Concrete
Lightweight concrete blocks made from expanded clay are produced mainly according to the same processes as regular concrete blocks, but instead of normal aggregate, expanded clay is used to reduce density and thermal conductivity. Expanded clay is artificially manufactured by shaping ground clay into pellets and firing them at temperatures between 1100 and 1200°C (2012–2192°F). The natural or added organic content within the clay burns off, and combustion gases expand the pellets, creating fine pores in the core. A relatively hard outer shell forms on the surface.
Thermal Insulation:
The excellent "natural" insulation combined with an external thermal insulation composite system easily meets legal requirements.
Thermal Storage:
Expanded clay heats up very slowly during the day and stores the heat. At night, the heat is released slowly. Expanded clay keeps the house cool during the day and comfortably warm at night.
Vapor Diffusion:
Expanded clay is sintered closed, so it cannot absorb moisture. The wall elements are breathable and allow for air moisture exchange. This is a significant advantage for a healthy and comfortable indoor climate.
Building Biology:
Expanded clay is a natural material. Produced in an eco-friendly manner without chemical additives, one cubic meter of raw clay yields up to 5 cubic meters of expanded clay pellets with excellent building biology properties.
Sound Insulation:
Sound always takes the path of least resistance. With an expanded clay wall, sound has to travel around every single pellet, significantly increasing its path and greatly reducing its intensity.
Fire Protection:
During the firing process at 1100-1200°C (2012–2192°F), all organic components are volatilized. Expanded clay exterior walls belong to the highest fire protection class F180.
Hollow Clay Brick
Brick has been widely used as a natural building material for thousands of years. Due to its capillary structure, brick naturally regulates moisture. It can absorb, store, and release indoor moisture quickly, depending on favorable external conditions. Thermal insulation through bricks prevents rooms from cooling down too quickly when heating is off. In hot climates, the thermal mass of bricks stores heat buildup inside rooms.
Thermal Insulation:
The heat absorbed by massive brick walls is only released back into the interior when outdoor temperatures drop, allowing excess heat to be ventilated naturally. This ability of brick to shift phases and dampen temperature amplitudes has long been used in southern countries by constructing solid brick houses (without additional air conditioning).
Thermal Protection:
Depending on raw density and thermal resistance (lR value), bricks offer very good insulation capabilities. For example, with lightweight bricks having a density of 0.8 kg/dm³ or 0.9 kg/dm³ and lightweight mortar LM 36, a standard wall thickness of 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) can easily achieve U-values below 0.40 W/m²K.
Thermal Conductivity:
Hollow brick walls without filling have higher thermal conductivity in the vertical direction, especially if constructed with conventional thin-bed mortar that does not reliably seal the cavities (leading to convection).
Vapor Diffusion Resistance:
Monolithic brick masonry made from thermally insulating hollow bricks with thermal conductivities around 0.14 W/mK and a thickness of 36.5 cm (14.4 inches), plastered on both sides, can achieve a U-value of approximately 0.35 W/m²K. This requires using lightweight mortar LM 21 and unfilled but interlocked head joints. This technically results in a three-part cross-section consisting of brick, air-filled joints, and mortar bed joints, each with slightly different moisture protection behavior.
Building Biology:
Hollow bricks meet the ecological and building biology requirements.
Sound Insulation:
Single-layer exterior walls made of lightweight bricks with mortar and plastered on both sides in thicknesses of 30 cm (12 inches) or 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) generally meet the requirements of DIN 4109 "Protection against Outside Noise." The sound insulation requirements for partition walls according to DIN 4109 are easily met with bricks having densities up to 2.4 kg/dm³.
Fire Protection:
Bricks have already endured fire for the builder. Brick walls plastered on both sides meet fire resistance class F90 (fire-resistant) according to DIN 4102 at only 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) thickness.
Best regards
badman42 schrieb:
-Ytong
Aerated Concrete (Ytong is a 'manufacturer')
This is a highly thermally insulating solid building material, which, due to its closed-cell pore structure, can fulfill both structural and building physics functions—usually without additional measures or supplementary materials. It is made from local raw materials and features the virtually unlimited lifespan typical of solid construction materials.
Thermal Insulation:
Aerated concrete is the only solid building material with a thermal conductivity starting at 0.09 W/(mK) in the density classes 0.30, 0.35, and 0.40. This means: A single-layer wall 30 cm (12 inches) thick already provides a thermal transmittance coefficient (U-value) of 0.28 W/(m²K). With a wall thickness of 36.5 cm (14.4 inches), the U-value decreases to 0.23. In exterior wall applications, these values meet and even exceed the requirements of the energy saving regulations (building permit / planning permission) without additional insulation. Moreover, the uniform wall construction allows for nearly thermal bridge-free designs. A single-layer plastered aerated concrete wall is considered airtight in terms of energy saving regulations without additional measures.
Thermal Storage:
The thermal storage capacity of aerated concrete lies between the extremes of lightweight construction (e.g., timber frame construction at approximately 50 kJ/m²K) and massive construction (e.g., masonry or reinforced concrete at about 250 kJ/m²K). The value for an aerated concrete wall is around 90 kJ/m²K.
Thermal Conductivity:
Due to its very low thermal conductivity of 0.09 W/(mK), aerated concrete used in monolithic construction can meet the requirements of energy saving regulations. A multi-layer construction, as is common with other materials for exterior walls, is not necessary.
Vapor Diffusion Resistance:
Because of its porous structure, the water vapor diffusion resistance factor of aerated concrete is low, ranging between µ = 5 and µ = 10.
Building Biology:
Aerated concrete is produced from a natural raw material that is chemically and mineralogically transformed. This process creates a product generally superior to the natural raw materials and better suited for constructing buildings with high standards for healthy living conditions.
Sound Insulation:
Aerated concrete challenges the basic physical principle “the heavier the component, the better the airborne sound insulation” because its pore structure provides internal damping. The DIN 4109 standard acknowledges this: aerated concrete walls with a surface mass up to 250 kg/m² (51 lb/ft²) receive a 2 dB bonus. Recent component tests even indicate further improvements. With walls and solid roofs made of aerated concrete, all exterior noise levels can be adequately acoustically protected. According to suitability test III for DIN 4109, double-leaf party walls made of aerated concrete with 17.5 cm (6.9 inches) PP4-0.6 blocks and a 50 mm (2 inches) cavity, fully filled with mineral insulation, even meet the requirements for increased sound insulation.
Fire Protection:
Aerated concrete offers reliable fire safety. It is a mineral building material and non-combustible. According to DIN 4102, it is classified as building material class A1 and can be used for all fire resistance ratings from 30 minutes up to 180 minutes (F30 to F180), depending on the design. Even a 7.5 cm (3 inches) thick unplastered, non-load-bearing aerated concrete wall meets all requirements of fire resistance class F90. Walls from 24 cm (9.5 inches) thickness made from PP 2-0.4 aerated concrete are considered firewalls. Ceilings and roofs made from aerated concrete also meet fire resistance classes from F30 to F180.
badman42 schrieb:
-liapor (good insulation, but poor soundproofing)
Expanded Clay Aggregate (Liapor) Lightweight Concrete
Lightweight concrete blocks made from expanded clay are produced mainly according to the same processes as regular concrete blocks, but instead of normal aggregate, expanded clay is used to reduce density and thermal conductivity. Expanded clay is artificially manufactured by shaping ground clay into pellets and firing them at temperatures between 1100 and 1200°C (2012–2192°F). The natural or added organic content within the clay burns off, and combustion gases expand the pellets, creating fine pores in the core. A relatively hard outer shell forms on the surface.
Thermal Insulation:
The excellent "natural" insulation combined with an external thermal insulation composite system easily meets legal requirements.
Thermal Storage:
Expanded clay heats up very slowly during the day and stores the heat. At night, the heat is released slowly. Expanded clay keeps the house cool during the day and comfortably warm at night.
Vapor Diffusion:
Expanded clay is sintered closed, so it cannot absorb moisture. The wall elements are breathable and allow for air moisture exchange. This is a significant advantage for a healthy and comfortable indoor climate.
Building Biology:
Expanded clay is a natural material. Produced in an eco-friendly manner without chemical additives, one cubic meter of raw clay yields up to 5 cubic meters of expanded clay pellets with excellent building biology properties.
Sound Insulation:
Sound always takes the path of least resistance. With an expanded clay wall, sound has to travel around every single pellet, significantly increasing its path and greatly reducing its intensity.
Fire Protection:
During the firing process at 1100-1200°C (2012–2192°F), all organic components are volatilized. Expanded clay exterior walls belong to the highest fire protection class F180.
badman42 schrieb:
-brick
Hollow Clay Brick
Brick has been widely used as a natural building material for thousands of years. Due to its capillary structure, brick naturally regulates moisture. It can absorb, store, and release indoor moisture quickly, depending on favorable external conditions. Thermal insulation through bricks prevents rooms from cooling down too quickly when heating is off. In hot climates, the thermal mass of bricks stores heat buildup inside rooms.
Thermal Insulation:
The heat absorbed by massive brick walls is only released back into the interior when outdoor temperatures drop, allowing excess heat to be ventilated naturally. This ability of brick to shift phases and dampen temperature amplitudes has long been used in southern countries by constructing solid brick houses (without additional air conditioning).
Thermal Protection:
Depending on raw density and thermal resistance (lR value), bricks offer very good insulation capabilities. For example, with lightweight bricks having a density of 0.8 kg/dm³ or 0.9 kg/dm³ and lightweight mortar LM 36, a standard wall thickness of 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) can easily achieve U-values below 0.40 W/m²K.
Thermal Conductivity:
Hollow brick walls without filling have higher thermal conductivity in the vertical direction, especially if constructed with conventional thin-bed mortar that does not reliably seal the cavities (leading to convection).
Vapor Diffusion Resistance:
Monolithic brick masonry made from thermally insulating hollow bricks with thermal conductivities around 0.14 W/mK and a thickness of 36.5 cm (14.4 inches), plastered on both sides, can achieve a U-value of approximately 0.35 W/m²K. This requires using lightweight mortar LM 21 and unfilled but interlocked head joints. This technically results in a three-part cross-section consisting of brick, air-filled joints, and mortar bed joints, each with slightly different moisture protection behavior.
Building Biology:
Hollow bricks meet the ecological and building biology requirements.
Sound Insulation:
Single-layer exterior walls made of lightweight bricks with mortar and plastered on both sides in thicknesses of 30 cm (12 inches) or 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) generally meet the requirements of DIN 4109 "Protection against Outside Noise." The sound insulation requirements for partition walls according to DIN 4109 are easily met with bricks having densities up to 2.4 kg/dm³.
Fire Protection:
Bricks have already endured fire for the builder. Brick walls plastered on both sides meet fire resistance class F90 (fire-resistant) according to DIN 4102 at only 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) thickness.
badman42 schrieb:Yes.
Do I have any chance of achieving KfW 55? I would accept masonry up to 49 cm, but I do not want full exterior insulation.
Best regards
B
Bauexperte9 Jun 2012 14:47Hello,
All have their pros and cons; therefore, the choice for or against a specific type of brick always depends on personal preferences.
Perlite is a mineral volcanic rock, often praised as a filler for hollow bricks and fully in line with the current energy-efficient insulation trend.
Kind regards
badman42 schrieb:
Which option would you choose and why? Are bricks without insulation still durable, or are they up to date?
All have their pros and cons; therefore, the choice for or against a specific type of brick always depends on personal preferences.
Perlite is a mineral volcanic rock, often praised as a filler for hollow bricks and fully in line with the current energy-efficient insulation trend.
Kind regards
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