Synthetic insulation
An overview of all synthetic insulation materials collected and tested within the Start 2 Reuse Insulation project. For each case, at least three, and usually three to four, insulation boards were collected for the performance assessment. For each case study, test samples were examined in the lab to determine the remaining technical performance.
Of all cases studied, 27% consisted of PIR, 16% of PUR, 16% of XPS and 12% of EPS. Each case also shows proposed performance values for reuse based on the guidelines in our digital tool. These values are based on the research as a whole and are therefore guide values, not the actual measured performance of the individual case.
Extensive reuse of insulation in a two-unit home
Reused insulation materials were used for the facade, the flat roof, the floor, the partition walls and the pitched roof alike.
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Dismantling an ETICS system with students
A facade with an ETICS system was dismantled together with four Industrial Engineering students and one Bachelor in Construction student.
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37-year-old PUR gets a new life
PUR from 1988 was dismantled and reused to insulate a flat roof.
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Dismantling XPS from a ground floor
Dismantling insulation on a floor slab from social housing with Bachelor in Construction students.
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EPS (1970) - 9 cm - floor
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EPS (1991) - 11 cm - floor
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EPS (1994) - 15 cm - flat roof
EPS insulation on the flat roof of a cold store.
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EPS (1994) - 30 cm - flat roof
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EPS (2001) - 10 cm - flat roof
Insulation boards from a distribution warehouse.
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EPS (2004) - 10 cm - flat roof
EPS insulation from the flat roof of an industrial hall.
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EPS - 12 cm - facade
Testing different dismantling techniques with students.
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PIR (2004) - 6 cm - facade
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PIR (2005) - 10 cm - flat roof
The insulation was dismantled from a non-residential building and stacked on pallets wrapped in stretch film.
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PIR (2008) - 5 cm - flat roof
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PIR (2008) - 8 cm - flat roof
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PIR (2009) - 4 cm - pitched roof
Dismantling of insulation boards under purlins, from livestock barns.
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PIR (2011) - 8 cm - flat roof
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PIR (2012) - 5 cm - flat roof
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PIR (2012) - 5 cm - from storage
PIR boards that were never installed in a building.
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PIR (2013) - 7 cm - flat roof
Dismantling of PIR insulation from a house
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PIR (2013) - 8 cm - pitched roof
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PIR (2015) - 8 cm - pitched roof
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PIR (2016) - 3 cm - facade
Dismantling of insulation behind facade panels from a care home in March 2024.
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PIR (2016) - 4 cm - flat roof
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PIR (2017) - 10 cm - pitched roof
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PIR (2019) - 10 cm - flat roof
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PUR (1975) - 7 cm - pitched roof
Insulation boards on top of purlins, with corrugated steel sheets on top.
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PUR (1988) - 7 cm - flat roof
Dismantling of a flat roof of industrial halls.
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PUR (1993) - 3 cm - facade
A facade was dismantled with Bachelor in Construction students.
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PUR (1993) - 8 cm - flat roof
PUR insulation weighed down with a layer of gravel and tiles.
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PUR (2004) - 6 cm - facade
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PUR (2005) - 8 cm - Flat roof
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PUR (2006) - 4 cm - flat roof
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PUR (2009) - 8 cm - flat roof
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XPS (1973) - 3 cm - flat roof
Flat roof insulation from a care home.
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XPS (1990) - 4 cm - roof
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XPS (1994) - 3 cm - floor
Insulation from a ground floor, dismantled by Bachelor in Construction students.
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XPS (1995) - 10 cm - flat roof
Insulation dismantled from the flat roof of a distribution centre for flowers and flower bulbs.
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XPS (1997) - 5 cm - flat roof
Insulation boards from an inverted roof.
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XPS (2000) - 4 cm - roof
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XPS (2001) - 4 cm - floor
Floor insulation on top of a hollow-core slab floor from an office building.
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XPS (2004) - 4 cm - facade
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XPS (2010) - 8 cm - underground
Insulation boards that were placed against the outside of the concrete walls of a swimming pool and basement.
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