No more waste from renovation? Kiilto revolutionizes the global construction industry with an adhesive solution that enables full recyclability of used materials.
Kiilto, a Finnish company with over 100 years of experience in producing world-leading chemical industry solutions, presents a groundbreaking adhesive solution. The new adhesive solution makes, for instance, construction and renovation waste recyclable, and thus helps make the whole built environment more sustainable.Given that buildings use a large part of all consumed energy, causing more than 40 percent of global emissions, and that the demolition waste of buildings accounts for nearly a third of all waste, the climate conversation often revolves around the built environment and
The international Indoor Air Conference ,) was organised between 12 and 16 June 2022, with visitors from 42 countries.
There was a sense of joy in the air as scientific experts were once again, with travel restrictions being lifted, able to share information with each other face to face, not just virtually.
Use of sensors a hot topic
Global trends at the moment include indoor air sensors and various ventilation themes.
As buildings become more automated, there is increasing interest in the continuous monitoring of carbon dioxide and volatile organic
Indoor Air 2022, the 17th international conference of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality & Climate, will be held this year in Kuopio, Finland. Kiilto will be there at its own stand to highlight solutions for blocking air leakages and harmful emissions.Kiilto is a chemical industry company that develops and manufactures building materials, among others. Indoor air quality is an integral element in the development of their solutions.
“We discuss indoor air quality and factors contributing to it regularly with our stakeholders. As Kiilto is a developer of building materials,
Global warming is making conditions more favourable for mould. This means that more account must be taken of climate change when selecting building materials and designing structures.According to the worst-case scenarios, temperatures could rise by a few degrees by the end of the century. In addition to temperatures, rainfall is increasing in Finland and the northern hemisphere, while relative air humidity is rising. These developments are creating conditions more conducive to mould and microbial growth. In winter, there is more rain and less snow than before, wetting facade structures more
Energy-efficient houses have long been designed to curb the energy costs and environmental impacts of housing, and to reduce the related emissions. Stricter energy efficiency requirements are forcing a shift of focus towards the moisture-control technology and cost-effectiveness of exterior structures.HVAC heating solutions have been favouring a low-energy approach for many years. Thermal insulation has become thicker and new insulation materials have been developed. Juha Vinha, Professor of Building Physics at the University of Tampere, points out that, in addition to moisture behaviour,
Kiilto Airblock Coat and Airblock Fiber make leakage and radon management cost-effective. Modern, tape-free and one-component sealing can be optimised, based on the site in question. The end result is a tried and tested air leakage repair.More cost-effective sealing repair
One-component Kiilto Airblock Coat and Airblock Fiber save time and money. They can be mixed easily at the building site without any special equipment. Sealing repair is easy to do by spraying, rolling
After indoor air problems were discovered in a Tampere daycare centre, an extensive indoor air renovation solved the problem. In the sealing repairs, extensive use was made of a range of expertise: the client, designer, subcontractor and manufacturer of building materials engaged in close collaboration.It is little wonder that poor indoor air quality has been of public concern for some time, since so many people are affected.
One of last year's indoor air renovation sites was a property owned by the home rental company VTS-kodit, in Tampere, Finland. Suspicions had been raised concerning
Care must be taken to ensure that the value of a property is maintained. Niina Kesti, the founder of the pioneering mould removal company Poistoa, believes that architects and interior designers should take the ease of keeping premises clean into account at the planning stage.Good property maintenance can bring the owner direct savings. Real estate availability and employee wellbeing are known to be better in properties that are proactively maintained. By thinking ahead, repair costs and staff absenteeism can be kept under control.
“A good cleaning service has goals. It is not just a
Factors with an impact on the quality of indoor air provoke much discussion. As a health organisation, the views we have expressed have not changed for years. At the same time, we have monitored the commercial markets, where new solutions arrive nearly every year that claim to improve the quality of indoor air.Cleaning in offices and public spaces is one interesting area. New product and service suppliers have entered the markets with the aim of having an impact on the quality of indoor air. We have received questions about antibacterial agents, ecological washing, processed water,
Detergents bearing the Nordic Ecolabel are good choices for the environment. They are also safe for their users and are good for indoor air.The ingredients of detergents bearing the Nordic Ecolabel are biodegradable and non-toxic to aquatic organisms. They have been tested to be effective with the recommended dosage. In addition, the amount of packaging material has been limited.
The Nordic Ecolabel’s criteria for detergents also include requirements that have a positive impact on indoor air:
Detergents bearing the Nordic Ecolabel cannot contain any components that cause any sensation,
The impact of building materials on indoor air should be examined more.The emission class M1 for building materials is often seen as a guarantee of good indoor air. The aim of the M1 classification is to promote the development and use of low-emission products in construction. According to Juhani Pirinen, head of a business unit at FCG, the use of the classification has reduced the chemical levels in new buildings drastically.
"The M1 classification ensures that the products produce fewer emissions. The classification cannot, however, enable fully emission-free construction and
Indoor air problems in new buildings are a marginal phenomenon.Indoor air problems in new buildings are reported in the media at regular intervals. They make tough claims, but according to Juhani Pirinen, only a few percent of new buildings have indoor air problems. Pirinen is head of a business unit at FCG and has studied indoor air problems for a long time.
"New buildings are usually healthy, but the media are good at picking out the problem buildings. Just one problem building discussed in the media will stir up a big fuss," Pirinen says.
There should, however, be zero tolerance
The measurement of indoor air problems is in need of development. Currently problems are mainly recognised through symptoms.Indoor air problems are easy to recognise through the symptoms, but it is often challenging to find out the root cause of the problems. Juhani Pirinen, head of a business unit at FCG, specialises in indoor air problems and according to him, the difficulty with finding out the cause of a problem is to do with the inadequate measurement methods.
"Measurements often provide very rough results."
According to Pirinen, finding out the cause of indoor air problems
Energy efficiency is not a threat to good indoor air as long as buildings are built correctly.Airtight and energy-efficient buildings are often criticised for having indoor air problems. However, an airtight structure is not always the cause of the problems.
"The use of plastic vapour barrier sheets, for example, is often considered the cause of mould growth, but studies have shown that they do not cause moisture damage. The problems are often caused by the fact that when they began to use plastic as a vapour barrier, they forgot to add ventilation systems to the buildings," says Juhani
According to indoor air researcher Juhani Pirinen, the current building regulations make it difficult to construct buildings that will not suffer from indoor air problems within a certain time frame without maintenance and repair.There are various reasons behind indoor air problems. The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities has studied municipal buildings and generally speaking, it could be said that one third of the problems are caused by design errors, one third by construction faults and one third by the use of the buildings.
According to Juhani Pirinen, head of a
Indoor air problems are often seen as a Finnish problem, but moisture damage in buildings makes people sick all over the world.Indoor air problems are an exceptionally hot topic in Finland, but this is by no means a Finnish or even Nordic issue. Problems caused by poor indoor air were first noticed in the United States in the 1960s.
"Back then they realised that indoor air problems were linked to ventilation ducts and mould caused by air conditioning. Later indoor air problems were also linked to building material emissions and moisture damage," says Juhani Pirinen, head of a business
Sensory accessible home is fit for all. The Haltiatar house at the 2018 Housing Fair held in Pori, Finland features scent-free building materials among other sensory-friendly solutions.Accessibility is a well-researched topic, and building regulations, among other things, require new buildings to take accessibility into account. For people with sensory defensiveness, accessibility may need to be more in-depth.
"Sensory accessibility could be defined as a particular balance between relaxation and sufficient stimulation. A sensory
Battling indoor air quality problems can be challenging and expensive, as the source of the problem is often difficult to identify. The problems identified must of course be fixed, but it is even more important to focus on prevention. Indoor air quality problems can be reduced by using low alkali levelling compounds.Mould is not the only reason for low indoor air quality, as harmful volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions can also cause problems. There are two reasons of VOCs that usually arise in public debate: the plastic flooring used most often in public places, and installing it on a
Finland’s first Nordic Swan Ecolabelled detached house Villa Roiha is under construction in Kaarina. The building site uses Kiilto products which meet the strict environmental criteria for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Along with nvironmental considerations, the new inhabitants want to ensure that the indoor climate is clean.This is the first time Sami Roiha is building a house. That is a challenge in itself, but this project is even more demanding than usual, as it will be the first Nordic Swan Ecolabelled detached house in Finland.
Sami says that he was looking for a bigger home for his
Kiilto is the first manufacturer on the market to receive the M1 classification for all its wet room system products.Kiilto takes into account the possible impacts of their products on indoor air quality as early as the initial stage of the R&D process, and has focused on indoor air quality for several years now.
“Making top-quality products that are safe to use is a key priority for us. M1 classification tells our customers that they have chosen a low-emitting solution”, says Miika Suppula, Sales Manager at Kiilto Construction.
“Indoor air issues are widely discussed in the media at
Beds matter because we spend a large part of our life sleeping. Demanding M1 laboratory tests were conducted to ensure that Siparila’s glulam bed components were emission-free.The old bed model had become obsolete. It had begun to look to crude with the braces nailed to the underside.
Siparila wanted to solve the problem of its customer Hilding Anders , a major Nordic bed manufacturer. The proposal was to use glulam components instead of solid wood in a continental bed.
However, at the same time, it
The first summer cabin in Finland and all Nordic countries to carry the Nordic Swan Ecolabel is currently under construction in Uusikaupunki. Kiilto's environmentally friendly products, among others, are used in the building.In a seafront summer cabin in Lokalahti, Uusikaupunki, Rauli Lantkankare is grouting the tile floor in the bathroom. It has been over two years since Rauli and his father-in-law Esko Helenius first put on their working gloves and turned on the cement mixer at this site.
Rauli's idea of building the first summer cabin in Finland and the Nordic countries to carry the
