For a new family home in Belgium: sustainability and energy efficiency with the expanded airtightness offering of DuPont Performance Building Solutions.

The construction of an energy-efficient house was recently completed in Burdinne, a village south-east of Brussels, Belgium. Designed by architect Maximilien Cornet and built by CO2 Habitat, a company specializing in the construction of low-energy buildings, the house features advanced materials and technological solutions, aligned with sustainable architecture concepts. With its modern aesthetics that blend with the surrounding landscape, the house has a reduced impact on the environment and improves the comfort and well-being of its occupants.

The choice of building materials used for this new family home was determined by the terrain morphology. Given the natural steep slope of the land, it was necessary to use a combination of molded concrete blocks together with structures in wood and in metal to guarantee a perfect base.

A variety of products from DuPont Performance Building Solutions for airtightness and energy efficiency have been used in the building envelope, including DuPont™ Tyvek^® breathable membranes, DuPont™ AirGuard^® vapour control layers, DuPont™ Insta Stik™ polyurethane adhesive, DuPont™ Froth-Pak™ insulation foam and DuPont™ LiquidArmor™ CM liquid sealant.

These products provide quick-to-install solutions which help to achieve significant material and time savings in comparison with more conventional products. Via its offering and a world-class technical know-how, DuPont Performance Building Solutions helps building and construction professionals and companies to meet the new, demanding requirements in terms of airtightness, superior energy efficiency, and to cope with the challenges coming from the lack of qualified labour in building industry.

The product offering of DuPont Performance Building Solutions helps building and construction industry to achieve material savings up to 50% and time savings up to 45% in comparison with more conventional solutions, a very significant benefit, even more in times where the availability of qualified workers is a major concern*.

In the Belgian house, the brick cladding of the exterior walls is combined with open joints in larch wood. Its large mono-pitched roof sports a zinc standing seam system with 13-meter long strips.

The project features different wall structures, such as open joint wooden facade and closed facade. To provide optimal water-proofing and ensure living comfort to each floor, from the basement to the top floor, CO2 Habitat firm promoted the use of Tyvek^® breathable membranes, a solution that had previously been specified and successfully used by the Belgian firm for other projects.

These membranes are extremely resistant, lightweight, flexible and easy to install, they maintain their characteristics over time and help to optimize the building performance. Placed behind the open joint wooden facades, Tyvek^® UV Facade membrane (black colour) acts as rain and UV screen and enables the structure to be effectively shielded in any atmospheric condition.

AirGuard^® Sd23, a translucent and highly resistant vapor barrier, protects the roof insulation from moisture and sustains the airtightness of the building, while Tyvek^® Maxprotect, applied to the exterior walls together with mineral wool, where closed cladding was chosen, provides high performance protection from external weather conditions. With their superior water resistance, air tightness and vapor permeability, these Tyvek® advanced membranes provide reliable and durable protection for all types of buildings. The quality and the durability of Tyvek^® accessories (such as adhesive tapes, mastic, primer) have been very important for the airtightness and the energy efficiency of the building envelope.

The sealing of doors and windows is one of the key elements of a building envelope. It allows for the interruption of the thermal bridges and prevents heat loss that would compromise the energy performance of the entire building. To achieve these goals in this energy-efficient house, DuPont sprayable products were used, including Insta Stik™ Flex +, Froth-Pak™ Mini and LiquidArmor™ CM.

Insta Stik™ Flex + polyurethane adhesive has been used to create a continuous airtight seal around all the window and door frames, increasing the building comfort. This product is a single-component

polyurethane foam with great resistance to the natural movement of the wood structures originated by wind and temperature changes. It maintains a "memory of the shape", has superior flexibility and provides long-term airtightness to windows and doors as well as good sound insulation, as proven by specific certificates (such as ÖNORM B 5321). No airtight adhesive tape needs to be installed on the internal side of the window frame. Its qualities include also quick and easy installation.

Froth-Pak™ Mini, another insulating foam which reduces air and moisture penetration. was used for the insulation of the garage door frame. It is a two-component spray polyurethane foam, which is quick and easy to apply and was chosen for this specific hard-to-reach area. It also provides a tight barrier against air leakage and it insulates the construction joints. After 2 minutes the foam can be cut, rendered, sanded or painted.

To complete the insulation system, the envelope of the house benefits from Liquid Armor™ CM, an easy-to-apply liquid sealant that is applied from the outside of the window frame to protect the polyurethane adhesive from UV and water penetration. It creates an impenetrable air and moisture barrier, offers high abrasion resistance and protection from UV rays to which polyurethane foams are very sensitive. Liquid Armor™ CM can be applied even when outdoor temperatures are down to minus 6° C.

DuPont provides up 25 year-long warranty for Tyvek^®, Insta Stik™ Flex +, Liquid Armor™ CM and Froth-Pak™ Mini.

About DuPont Performance Building Solutions – A division of the Water & Protection platform of DuPont company, DuPont Performance Building Solutions is a global innovation leader in the building and construction industry, providing products and materials for the building envelope. With today's focus on the reduction of emissions and improved energy efficiency, you can count on brands such as Tyvek^®, AirGuard^®, Great Stuff™, Insta Stik™, Froth-Pak™ and LiquidArmour™ that have been at the heart of building solutions for decades backed by unmatched industry insight, building knowledge, and technical support. The products and services portfolio of DuPont Performance Building Solutions enables customers to focus on what they do best, no matter where and how they choose to build. To know more about DuPont Performance Building Solutions, www.building.dupont.com

About DuPont - DuPont (NYSE: DD) is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, construction, water, health and wellness, food, and worker safety. More information can be found at www.dupont.com/.

# Estimates based on assessments done in the German market. Savings may vary depending on the product offering available in a specific country.

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