NPFig. 9. Original (top) and optimized (bottom) prefabricated retrofit module moisture analysis.
• Application of the smart vapour retardant and cork insulation in
the aluminium finishing;
• Connection of the aluminium finishing to steel U-profiles.
With the construction of the base prototypes finished, the next
step was to place them on the partition wall of the test building to
perform in situ measurements. To this end, it was only necessary
to mount the support structure on the wall and the consequent
placing of the PRM modules in the support structure, as shown in
Fig. 11.
The measured U-value for the standard PRM section was
0.19 ± 0.004W/m2 K, and for the cavity section (duct area) it was
0.30 ± 0.016W/m2 K. This resulted inanoverall U-value for the PRM
solution of 0.23 ± 0.007W/m2 K, as previously foreseen.
With the use of a thermography camera, several infrared pictures
were taken showing the temperature variation between
different sections of the PRM module (Fig. 12).
5.4. Integrated retrofit with PRM
The two-step approach suggested by the EPBD recast was
applied to two building retrofit case studies with the aim of achieving
a nearly zero energy building.