Jakub Stefaniak, EUMEPS Technical Advisor, participated in the ETICS International conference in Poland, organised by the Polish ETICS association SSO. ETICS, which stands for External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems, have been used successfully, without issue, for more than 50 years, as they offer the most sustainable and durable performance, with thermal performance unchanged over the lifetime of the building when combined with EPS insulation. EUMEPS members are keen on keeping the quality standards of ETICS high and ensuring that systems remain safe. The conference, in general, gave great insights into currently conducted research, regulation, trends and development. Most of the discussions were related to the European Union (EU) legislation, sustainability of EPS, ETICS and fire safety – a hot topic for the whole European construction industry.
The Ukrainian Prof. Dr Gennadiy Farenyuk gave very interesting insights about the Experimental evaluation of ETICS reliability factors and focused on the role of ETICS in rebuilding his home country, while Dr Sebastian Wall talked about the involvement of the “I found the presentation of Bartłomiej Papis on “Key ETICS elements affecting the evaluation of fire spread through exterior walls” particularly interesting. He made the discussion very lively on topics such as the “EU Façade Fire Project”, fire testing of facades in general, and the goal and objectives of these tests”, says Jakub Stefaniak. Finally, two presentations also tackled the growth of microorganisms on the plaster surface, thus underlining the variety of topics discussed at the conference.
The construction industry was well-represented (from Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) to paint, mortar, or glue to only give a few examples) and EUMEPS was once more delighted to participate in the conference. Discussions were lively and constructive, and EPS was perceived very positively. “The conference was of high quality and the various topics discussed contributed to making it a great experience. I am looking forward to next year’s event”, concludes Jakub Stefaniak.