The IGLU' System
DISPOSABLE FORMWORK FOR VENTILATED
UNDER-FLOOR CAVITIES
• Ventilated under-floor cavities for civil and industrial buildings that are being built new or reconstructed.
• Urban infrastructure structures: squares, sidewalks, sports facilities.
• Creation of an intermediate slab or roofing for cavities used for ventilation and the passage of systems.
• Rooms used for humidity and temperature control: drying cells, cold rooms, greenhouses, storage rooms and cellars.
• Underground pipes for the passage of utilities. Inspectionable cavities and pits.
• By filling it in simply with expanded clay, it can be used to create roof- top gardens.
• Underground ducts for the dispersion of water and for drainage.
• Overhead sidewalks for passenger loading and unloading or the creation of floating floors.
• Levelling height.
Cold storage
For the creation of environments to control humidity and temperatures (cold storage, food warehouses, cellars, drying cells).
Acoustic insulation
In combination with specific phono insulating packages IGLU' helps reach the values specified by regulations in terms of noise.
Clay treatment
Creating reinforced concrete slabs that do not suffer from the effects of swelling and shrinkage inherent in clay soil.
Sloping driveway access ramps
Systems to create driveway access ramps, steps, slightly sloping slabs for theaters and cinemas, or to level off different highs.
Ventilated roof
A system that promotes continuous air flow, to reduce heat transmittion in/out your home. Installed & tested in Malta.
The IGLU' system is the most secure & economical constructive solution for installing ventilated cavities
under both positive and negative cold rooms.
It guarantees that the temperature of the cavity remains above zero by removing the moisture present in the substrate.
This prevents the freezing and deformation of the foundation sediments (the lean concrete/soil assembly) which pushes
the laying surface upwards and causes the floor to crack (a process known as frost heave).
Advantages
1. Prevents deformation and lifting of floor (frost heave)
2. High resistance to distributed and concentrated loads
3. Effective ventilation in opposite directions
4. Elimination of freezing air
5. Ease of positioning
6. Maximum free transit for the underground system in all direction
7. No point of contact between the concrete and the ground
Cold rooms are facilities in which a constant temperature is maintained in order to conserve foods. They are now used everywhere
in the food industry and are divided principally into low-temperature cold rooms, called negative cold rooms (in which the temperature
can vary from -4° C to -30° C), and medium-temperature, or positive cold rooms (in which the temperature can vary from 0° C to + 4° C).
A problem that has always been associated with the construction of negative cold rooms is the likelihood that the cold will
eventually propagate through the structures and reach the ground. This causes the ground temperature to fall below zero, which results
in the floor rising and fracturing, a phenomenon known as frost heave.
To avoid this phenomenon, in addition to applying an insulating layer, it is common practise to lift the floor off the ground, placing
it at a slightly higher elevation, so that it is possible to ventilate the underlying cavity and consequently maintain the air temperature
above zero and eliminate the moisture which is present in the substrate.
An under-floor cavity constructed with Iglu’ is the ideal system for achieving more effective ventilation below the floor, because Iglu’
makes it possible to create a single open space and ensure that air can circulate in all directions. This prevents the occurrence of frost heave.
Cold Rooms Catalogue
With the help of the IGLU' system H 4-8-12 cm, which is placed between the screed and the slab structure, a noise control mechanism is implemented that makes it possible to increase the level of comfort in homes, with the additional benefit of a cavity that is created through which cables and piping can be passed and is also a lesser heavy solution than the classical screed ('Torba'). In combination with specific phono insulating packages IGLU' helps reach the values specified by regulations in terms of noise.
Coffrargile, a disposable formwork made of recycled plastic, to effectively handle
the movements of clay soils and protect floors from shrinkage/swelling.
Coffrargile is used in combination with Beton Up, an accessory that prevents the reinforced concrete from forming the
pillars typical of the classic IGLU' system. Counteracting the deformation of argillaceous foundation sediments.
In this way, the formwork takes on the function of a lost-shutter on which the load-bearing slab of reinforced concrete
can be installed with a cavity below. This is to accommodate the swelling and shrinkage of the sediment
underlying the foundation due to the special mechanical properties of clay soils.
Advantages
1. Impervious to the weather
2. Ease of storage and handling on site
3. Resistant to termites, insects, rodents and other animals which, can in contrast, destroy cardboard elements
4. Ecological and environmentally complaint
5. Does not transmit stresses to the structures that it supports
Coffrargile is the effective solution for creating cast-in-place reinforced concrete slabs that do not suffer from the effects of
swelling and shrinkage inherent in clay soils for the construction of office and commercial buildings as well as civil and
industrial projects which are threatened by underlying clay sediments.
Clay treatment Catalogue
Systems to create driveway access ramps, steps, slightly sloping slabs for theaters and cinemas,
or to level off different heights.
The Atlantis System makes it possible to quickly create ramps for accessing underground structures, with considerable savings in
concrete use. In fact, instead of using materials such as sand, gravel or concrete, it is possible to create a foundation for the
ramp that has the same height of the adjacent structure (parking area) and create a space with an inclined vehicle accessible slab
on the top. The Atlantis System can also be used for curved ramps.
Our technicians are at your disposal to help you design your under-floor cavity, and upon request can provide customised studies with calculations and executive drawings.
An increasingly important topic over the past few years has been the excessive amount of energy used by buildings,
a use that can be considerably reduced through roof ventilation achieved by using IGLU' ventilated roof.
By placing IGLU' ventilated roof formworks on the building’s horizontal roof, an air cavity is created that
insulates from the heat in the summer and from the cold in the winter, resulting in savings in indoor air conditioning.
The accumulation of heat during summer and the low temperatures during winter create condensation and mold, can be solved by a ventilated roof
cavity that provides continuous air flow in the cavity.
Advantages
1. In summer months it can reduce heating of the spaces below thanks to the ventilation
2. In winter months, closing the ventilation, it can isolate from the external cold temperatures
3. The ventilation also helps in avoiding moisture stagnation below the roof surface and thus prevents the formation of mold or other substances which may lead to a degradation of the structure
4. Significant savings on energy consumption (Heating and Cooling)
The height of the interspace is to be determined in function of the technical characteristics of the roof, such as the type of coverage,
the length and slope of the pitch and the local weather conditions. For further, thermal insulation and acoustic isolation, we can offer a combined
system of ventilated cavity over thermal insulation panels.
Tests have been performed on roof ventilation using Iglu’ ventilated roof, in collaboration with the University of Malta, which have provided
very valid results, combining a summer ventilation system with the closure of air inlets in winter, in order to create an insulating cavity.
In the winter, a condensation vacuum tied to specific registers can be prepared to avoid excess moisture inside the cavity.
Ventilated roof Catalogue
Disposable formwork for ventilated under-floor cavities.