Today, the rapid increase in energy costs has made the issue of energy efficiency in buildings more important than ever. It is undeniable that energy saving will become much more important in the future. Most of the heat losses in commercial and industrial buildings, and even more in residential buildings, occur through exterior walls, terraces, roofs and facade surfaces. Therefore, using the right thermal insulation system plays a critical role in both saving energy and increasing indoor comfort.
One of the most widely used methods in buildings for many years is sheathing systems. In sheathing applications, sheet materials such as EPS or XPS or mineral wool are usually fixed to the wall surface and covered with plaster to create a multi-layered facade insulation system. However, some question marks arise due to reasons such as the results obtained in these applications, fire safety, the functional life of the materials and the life of the building, breathing (diffusion) problems, high carbon footprint. For such reasons, new technologies developed as an alternative to sheathing systems have come to the fore in the building sector in recent years. One of these technologies is mineral-based insulation coating systems known as insulation plaster.
Insulating plaster is a special building material containing lightweight mineral aggregates that reduce heat conduction unlike traditional plasters. These plasters are usually produced using porous minerals such as perlite, pumice and similar. These aggregates significantly reduce heat transfer thanks to their structure containing millions of micro air voids, which are the basis for providing thermal insulation in insulation products. As trapped air is one of the most effective natural insulators, slowing down heat conduction, it forms the basis of the insulation performance of this structure.
Insulated plaster systems used in modern building technologies not only provide thermal insulation. They also increase the fire safety of buildings, improve acoustic performance and preserve the natural moisture balance of the wall. Especially mineral-based plasters allow the wall to breathe thanks to their diffusion-open structure. This feature prevents moisture accumulation inside the wall and prevents the formation of mold and mildew. It prevents the formation of mold and bacteria on the facades by extending the life of the building and keeping the humidity balanced.
Another important advantage of insulation plasters is their application flexibility. These systems can be used in both interior and exterior facade applications and open terraces. Insulating plasters offer a strong solution especially in historical buildings where sheathing systems are difficult to apply, renovation projects and mineral facade coatings are preferred.
One of the pioneers of advanced examples of this technology is the Thermolock mineral insulation plaster system. Thermolock creates a porous, elegant and decorative structure on the wall surface and significantly reduces heat transfer thanks to its special formulation containing perlite pumice and light mineral aggregates.
The mineral-based structure of the Thermolock system is A1 class non-combustible. Class A1 means that the material itself is non-combustible and does not emit flames during a fire. However, modern facade safety is not limited to the material being fireproof. What matters is how long the facade system can protect the structure during a fire.
At this point, the Thermolock system offers an important level of safety with its F360 fire performance registered by Efectis. The F360 class refers to the facade system's capacity to protect the facade for 360 minutes under fire conditions, proven by authorities. This performance indicates not only that the material is fireproof, but also that the facade system can absorb heat during a fire, protecting the structure for a long time.
Therefore, the Thermolock system is not only an insulating plaster, but also a facade coating technology that creates a mineral fire barrier that provides high fire safety. Therefore, it provides the best performance registered by Efectis in the category of fire retardant plaster, not only fireproof plaster. Imagine that the product used when Thermolock is applied to your command is also the product used in the coke extinguishing towers of "Kardemir Iron and Steel Enterprises", which operate at thousands of degrees Celsius.
