BASF is taking its demonstrator Mobile Energy-Saving House (MESH) on a tour to demonstrate the workings, construction and developments of passiv haus technology.

The company is sending the solid wood 24sq m building across Europe, visiting Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent on 30 April and 1 May, and the Eden Project in Cornwall on 3 and 4 May 3.

The miniature house toured Germany in 2009, but it has since been enhanced by the addition of measures from sound proofing via solar collectors to energy saving plastic windows.

Visitors can see first hand the main aspects of a passiv haus, including BASF-produced extruded polystyrene rigid foam panels used as compression-resistant and water-repellent thermal insulation.

The MESH demonstrates new construction elements such as decorative sound absorbers made from the BASF foam Basotect, which it says is lightweight, easy to work with and flame-retardant, and solar thermal collectors made by German heating engineering manufacturer Viessmann, with Basotect thermal insulation.

Energy-efficient and economical window profiles made by German manufacturer Aluplast will also be on show. These feature two flat strips of engineered plastic replacing the conventional metal reinforcement, avoiding thermal bridges, as well as foil coating on the window’s surface to reduce heat build-up.

The MESH started its tour on 30 March in Vienna and will end on 29 May at the Passiv Haus Conference in Dresden, Germany, after stops in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy.

http://www.mesh.basf.com

By Nicola Storey