Results of time-checking research of thermal insulation arrangement process for housing construction

Raising of problem. Currently the ideas of sustainable and energy efficient building design have become dominant in construction practice for our state. Adding insulation to the building is one obvious way to increase thermal resistance of constructions, but insulation is not effective if there are easy heat flow paths around it. Almost every building, insulated in accordance with building standards, contain such building failures as thermal bridges. However this problem is still insufficiently explored in our country. According to Ukrainian Building Codes a thermal bridge is a localised area of the building envelope where the heat flow is increased in comparison with adjacent areas and thermal resistance of this vulnerable area is lower at least for 20 % than the thermal resistance of the main surface of construction. The effect of thermal bridge leads to higher energy consumption, mold formation and uncomfortable living space. Geometrical or structural thermal bridges are a result of the geometry (or shape) of the construction: balcony slabs, columns, pylons, corner junction, etc. So scientific team of PSACEA elaborated and patented own technical solutions in accordance with Ukrainian Building Codes and basing on rich european experiance in eliminating of thermal bridges. Proposed thermal break solution allow to reduce significantly heat loss through thermal bridges in the area "balcony slab ? external wall - floor slab". However, Ukrainian technical regulations don't propose any standards of labour performance for the thermal break's arrangement. Therefore, time-checking research was carried out during the process of industrial thermal break installation on the site. The obtained data allowed us to calculate the standards of labour performance. Those parameters were used to reveal the efficiency of thermal break (lower cost and reduced labour intensity) in comparison with external insulation of balcony slab. Analysis of recent researches. The technology of thermal breaks installation is described in technical requirements for designers and chief engineers of France. But this document don't specify standards of labour performance for the thermal break's arrangement. Manufacturing sequence of industrial thermal break installation is represented by scientists of Building Physics Research Institute (РААСН, Moscow). Scientists of Polytechnique school of Switzerland have been indicated another technology of thermal break installation. The methodology of timechecking research and handling of results is represented in a doctoral thesis of PhD Kapshuk O. A. as well as in primary sources. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the results of time-checking research of thermal insulation arrangement process for housing construction. Conclusions. The obtained standards of labour performance for the thermal break's arrangement were applied in order to calculate engineering-and-economical performance using АVК-5 sofware. Then the rational choice methodology was elaborated.