International Conference S2B: Safe and Sustainable Buildings

The S2B International Conference is an initiative of IPUR on its 20th anniversary.

It is our desire to collaborate in the organisation of this event with other industries and entities of the building sector from different European countries, with whom we share a common vision in relation to buildings’ sustainability and fire safety.

The increased demands for energy efficient buildings, the incorporation of renewable energies sources in buildings and having a high sustainability score in all phases of the life of buildings pose a challenge for the entire value chain stakeholders from the perspective of the safety of users and of the building itself.

To meet those challenges, these industries advocate for a global vision of safety and sustainability in buildings, based on a scientific approach, with data, results, tests and proven experience. A framework that allows the different industries and sectors to progress in the interest of both sustainability and safety in buildings.

Façade security

The building envelope is the basis for the energy efficiency of buildings and external insulation construction solutions are necessary to meet the requirements in both new construction and renovation.

On the other hand, several unfortunate fires in recent years have shown the need to improve the risk assessment of these building solutions.

The compatibility of safety and sustainability in this part of buildings is an urgent need.

For several years, work has been underway on a regulatory model that meets the specific needs of the external fire scenario on the façade.

The experience in different countries serves as a reference and helps to have an open and informed debate.

During the S2B International Conference we will have the opportunity to know the state of the art of the regulations in different countries, as well as the situation of the European façade testing project.

Safety on photovoltaic roofs

The proliferation of photovoltaic installations on the roofs of buildings, both industrial and residential, has raised many questions from various actors in the building value chain.

This new and widespread use of roofs has led to an appreciation of both the occasional fire risk and the necessary durability of roofs. Again a trade-off between safety and sustainability.

Two factors affect the durability of photovoltaic roofs. On the one hand, the increased traffic on roofs during the installation, use and maintenance phases of PV installations. On the other hand, the pressure on the roof due to the effect of wind suction, both cases generate the need to assess the mechanical resistance to repetitive loads, and how it affects the durability of the roof and therefore its influence on the safety and sustainability of the building as a whole.

Guaranteeing waterproofing as the primary function of the roof or assessing the whole when an electrical system is incorporated are factors that will be addressed at this International Conference, again from a global viewpoint, with the aim of making safety and sustainability compatible in buildings.

Sustainability from a scientific point of view

Starting from a general concept such as the sustainability of insulation, this conference aims to approach the subject from a practical, scientific and comparable point of view.

The regulatory framework of the European Green Deal and the resulting innovation it generates in the various industrial sectors will be another of the aspects to be dealt with in this section of the Conference.

Applied circularity and related technological advances will allow us to explore the state of the art in this field.

Fire safety of building façades

The building envelope is the basis of its energy efficiency and external insulation construction solutions are necessary to meet the requirements in both new construction and renovation.

On the other hand, several unfortunate fires in recent years have shown the need to improve the assessment of the risk posed by these construction solutions.

The compatibility of safety and sustainability is essential.

For several years, work has been underway on a regulatory model that meets the specific needs of the external fire scenario on the façade.

The experience in different countries serves as a reference and helps to have an open and informed debate.

During the S2B International Conference we will have the opportunity to know state of the art regulations in different countries, as well as the status of the European façade testing project.

Fire safety of photovoltaic mounted roofs

The proliferation of photovoltaic installations on the roofs of buildings, both industrial and residential, has raised many questions from various actors in the building value chain.

This new and widespread use of roofs has led to an assessment of both the occasional fire risk and the necessary durability of roofs. Again a compromise between safety and sustainability.

Two factors affect the durability of photovoltaic roofs. On the one hand, the increased traffic on roofs during the installation, use and maintenance phases of PV installations. On the other hand, the pressure on the roof due to the effect of wind suction, both cases generate the need to assess the mechanical resistance to repetitive loads, and how it affects the durability of the roof and therefore its influence on the safety and sustainability of the building as a whole.

Guaranteeing waterproofing as the primary function of the roof or assessing the whole when an electrical system is incorporated are factors that will be addressed at this International Conference, again from a holistic perspective, with the aim of making safety and sustainability compatible in buildings.

Sustainability from a scientific point of view

9:30-9:45. Welcome of attendees
9:45-10:00. Opening of the International Conference
- Xavier Grabuleda. President at IPUR.
- José Antonio Galdón. Executive President at COGITI.
10:00-11:30. Session 1: Fire safety of Building Façades

European experts in the evaluation of the fire performance of façades.
- Chairman: Roy Weghorst, representing PU EUROPE, the European Federation of Manufacturers of Rigid Polyurethane Insulating Products.
- Speeches and round table:
  - Large-scale fire tests for façades using the BS 8414 following the Grenfell fire incident in the UK. Octavian Lalu, Senior Fire Safety Scientist at BRE (United Kingdom).
  - Study about regulatory changes in the Netherlands after Grenfell fire, specifying the use of medium and large scale tests. Rudolf Van Mierlo, Senior Consultant Fire Safety at DGMR (The Netherlands), and Roy Weghorst, Head of Regulatory Affairs - Fire at Kingspan.
  - Aspects of European approach to assess the fire performance of facades. Johan Anderson, Senior Researcher at RISE Research Institutes (Sweden).
- - Italian regulations for facades. Giombattista Traina, Director of Reaction to Fire Lab at Istituto Giordano (Italy).
  - Guests round table:
- - - Pablo Garmendia, TECNALIA Fire Reaction Laboratory Specialist Technician.
    - Salvador Suñol, Laboratory Manager at Applus Laboratories.
11:30-12:00. Coffee Break
12:00-13:30. Session 2: Fire Safety of Photovoltaic Mounted Roofs

This block will address the roofs that support photovoltaic installations from different aspects and features (mechanical, durability, waterproofing, fire safety, etc.).
- Chairman: David Jiménez, Head of Technical Services of the College of Industrial Technical Engineers of Barcelona.
- Speeches and round table:
  - PV on roofs. Edith Antonatus, Fire Safety Consultant of PU EUROPE, the European Federation of Manufacturers of Rigid Polyurethane Insulation Products.
  - Solar installations on roofs with waterproofing membranes. Patricia Medina, Expert Flat Non Residential Manager at BMI, and participates on behalf of AIFIM, the Iberian Association of Waterproofing Manufacturers.
  - Good practices in solar structures and photovoltaic installations. Javier Fernández-Font, General Manager of Alusin Solar and Vice President of UNEF, the Spanish Union of Photovolyaics, the entity he represents.
  - Interaction between PV panel and the roof materials. Eric Guillaume, General Manager of EFECTIS. European reference entity in the evaluation of the fire behavior of products, systems or projects, for any industry.
  - Behavior of sandwich panel roofs with photovoltaic installations. Ignacio Mir, President of AFEPP. Association of Spanish Manufacturers of Insulating Sandwich Panels.
  - Guest round table: Xabier Olano, Fire Safety Lab Manager of TECNALIA.
13:30-15:00. Cocktail Lunch
15:15-16:45. Session 3: Sustainability from a scientific point of view

Different topics will be addressed, such as the complete Life Cycle Analysis, including the use phase, the contribution of polyurethane products to reducing the carbon footprint of buildings, the challenges of the chemical sector in Europe and the circularity of products based on polyurethane and its raw materials.
- Chairman: Juan Cirujeda, Managing Director at PLIXXENT SL.
- Speeches and round table:
  - Quantum Leap Circularity in PU – A Transversal View. Steven Peleman, CEO at TRIPLE HELIX.
  - Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) applied to the construction sector : French feedback. Jérôme d’Assigny, Director of Public Affairs, Community Relations and Site Project Management at VALOBAT.
  - Towards a toxic-free future: EU Green Deal and Chemicals Strategy impact on polyurethane safety and waste management. Domenico Perone, Policy Officer - Resource Efficiency & Sustainability at PU EUROPE.
16:45-17:00. Conclusions of the International Conference

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International Conference S2B

Safe and Sustainable Buildings

About

Topics

Façade security

Safety on photovoltaic roofs

Sustainability from a scientific point of view

Topics

Agenda

9:30-9:45. Welcome of attendees

9:45-10:00. Opening of the International Conference

10:00-11:30. Session 1: Fire safety of Building Façades

11:30-12:00. Coffee Break

12:00-13:30. Session 2: Fire Safety of Photovoltaic Mounted Roofs

13:30-15:00. Cocktail Lunch

15:15-16:45. Session 3: Sustainability from a scientific point of view

16:45-17:00. Conclusions of the International Conference

Participants

Xavier Grabuleda

Jose Antonio Galdón

Roy

Weghorst

Octavian

Lalu

Rudolf Van Mierlo

Johan Anderson

Giombattista Traina

Pablo Garmendia

Salvador Suñol

David

Jiménez

Edith Antonatus

Patricia Medina

Javier Fernández-Font

Eric Guillaume

Ignacio

Mir

Xabier

Olano

Juan

Cirujeda

Steven Peleman

Jérôme d’Assigny

Domenico Perone

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