Lightweight wall panel: building fast, simple, and with quality.

In May 2023, Aestech introduced its new proprietary product – the lightweight wall panel. It is a fully ready-to-install self-supporting fencing structure that can expedite the process of building a house and reduce costs without compromising on quality.

After over 15 years of working with glass, Aestech released its first product of this kind not only for themselves but also for the entire wall construction market. However, upon closer inspection of the panel, it becomes evident that it perfectly aligns with the concepts of aesthetics and practicality.

The lightweight wall panel can serve as a tool to address the issues of energy inefficiency in older buildings, respond to modern challenges, and make housing more affordable. In this article, we have gathered several relevant examples of applying the lightweight wall panel.

Opportunities for Renovation

With each passing year, the issue of housing renovation in Europe becomes increasingly pressing. While the architecture in Europe is diverse, a significant portion of it comprises residential buildings constructed at the end of the 20th century.

Let's take the residential sector in Germany as an example. According to data from BMWK, the majority of multi-apartment buildings have an E-class energy efficiency rating or lower. Low energy efficiency leads to significantly higher utility expenses, has a negative impact on the environment, and lowers the value per square meter of living space.

Currently, the European Union actively stimulates renovation processes by voting on new energy efficiency directives. However, the goals they set seem overly ambitious. To achieve the EU's green objectives by 2033, the pace of housing renovation needs to increase by at least 60 times. This number seems astronomical, especially considering the low renovation rates of recent years, which have been as low as 1-2% in some countries, making the mission seem almost unattainable.

Aestech's lightweight panel could become one of the tools to address the problem of energy-inefficient housing while significantly enhancing its aesthetics. It boasts high heat transfer and thermal resistance, meaning it retains heat well and prevents it from escaping outside. In other words, in the moderate climatic zone of Europe, a house constructed with lightweight wall panels would provide comfort throughout every season.

Housing Recovery

In June 2023, Aestech participated in the international Ukraine Recovery Conference and declared its plans to contribute to the reconstruction process in Ukraine. How exactly can Aestech's technology assist Ukraine?

According to KSE data, since the start of the full-scale invasion in Ukraine, nearly 19,000 residential properties have been destroyed or damaged. Additionally, there remains a significant amount of unfinished housing in the country. The lightweight wall panel can serve as a tool for the rapid restoration of damaged buildings. This applies to both new constructions and older housing types, such as large-panel buildings, which are one of the most common types in Ukraine.

One of the main advantages of lightweight wall panels is the speed of installation compared to standard solutions (e.g., gas-concrete technologies). The installation process is not dependent on the season, weather, temperature, or other natural factors. These panels can also be used for quickly erecting temporary housing and compact buildings for people who have lost their homes or had to relocate due to the conflict. For example, a small single-story house with an area of 60-80 square meters can be assembled using lightweight wall panels in a matter of days.

Cost Savings

The lightweight wall panel is an optimal choice in terms of the price-quality-aesthetics formula. For instance, if we compare it to another wall material like aerated concrete blocks, opting for the lightweight wall panel results in several cost-saving advantages. It requires fewer building materials and logistics, reduces installation services, saves additional working days, and more. Additionally, the reduced thickness of the enclosing structures allows for extra square footage, leading to significant savings of up to 17.2%.

Furthermore, using lightweight wall panels can reduce the load on the floor slab, leading to cost savings on reinforcement. This also applies to vertical load-bearing elements.

To recap, in 2023, Aestech, in partnership with the World Architecture Festival, will initiate a special award, The Futureglass Prize, for the second time in a row. A dedicated jury will be selecting the best projects that involve the use of glass and innovative approaches in its application.