35th International Rosenheim Window & Facade Conference 2007

Climate change is making headlines and Germany sees dynamic progress in its targets for CO2 reductions. All over the world, people are aware of the changes - in the form of heat waves, storms and heavy rainfalls. Saving energy is considered to be the best and most effective form of energy generation, and the refurbishment of the existing building stock in view of energy conservation has a central role to play. Windows and glass are some of the few building components that offer two options: saving energy and making use of thermal solar energy. The Rosenheim Window and Facade Conference will discuss climate change from all angles so that system suppliers, window and glass manufacturers and assemblers are well prepared for the tasks of the future.

The indisputable phenomena of climate change, such as heat waves, hurricanes and heavy rainfalls, present us all with great challenges. In 2008, the German implementation of the ‘European Directive on the energy performance of buildings´ will result in a new version of the German Energy Conservation Ordinance (EnEV) and an Energy Passport. And a subsequent ordinance, expected for the year 2010, will bring requirements calling for an additional 30% in energy savings. Hans-Dieter Hegner from the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs (BMVBS) will report in detail on the requirements for the development of glass types and window frames with a U-value that will be significantly lower than 1.0 (W/m²K). It follows that in order to get the products ready for 2010 we have to start with our design homework today.

The International Rosenheim Window & Facade Conference will give impulses and discuss the main topics in 27 speeches in six sessions:
§ Designing with New Materials
§ Safety and Security Aspects of Windows and Doors
§ Windows and Facades in Practice
§ Climate Protection through Building Technology
§ Research and the Future
§ Expert Dialogue "Working with system components"

The session ‘Designing with new materials´ will address interesting approaches to metal, timber and plastic windows. Dr. Helmut Weinläder from the Bavarian Centre for Applied Energy Research e.V. (ZAE Bavaria) will update on the current status of vacuum insulation technology, a report that has been eagerly awaited by many.

At the same time, the safety aspects of building components are becoming more important as windows and facades have to withstand gales with higher wind loads and heavy rainfalls with subsequent flooding. Therefore many people will want to protect themselves against these risks with disaster-resistant windows and doors. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Seiler from the Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK-IFU) will give an outline of concrete weather data for Central Europe and Prof. Dr. Gerhard Berz from the LMU Munich will give an account of the financial effects from the perspective of the insurance industry.

Other aspects, such as ventilation through windows and the integration of electronic components have to be pushed forward urgently so that windows and facades remain competitive in the future and don´t lose market share to the mechanical services offered by building equipment branche. To support these efforts, the ift Rosenheim has issued a new ‘Ventilation Guideline´ and completed the research project ‘Electronics in Window Construction´ as ideal guides for the use by all involved. Prof. Rüdiger Lorenz from the FH Potsdam and Prof. Dr. Harald Krause from the FH Rosenheim will give an account of the state-of-the-art of these technologies.

Even though the technical ‘hurdles´ may not be easy to cross, innovative companies with strong performance characteristics will be rewarded with enhanced competitiveness which can be used to great benefit in national and international markets. Dr. Joachim Scharioth from TNS Infratest Munich will therefore present the future purchase motivations of clients and Dr. Frederik Lehner from Interconnection Consulting will provide an analysis of construction trends and growth markets in Europe.

This year again, questions relating to CE marking will be answered in the form of the expert dialogue ‘Working with system components´. The discussion will be hosted by Prof. Christian Niemöller and will take a close look at the technical/legal rules of play between system suppliers and Assemblers/licensees. Concrete case studies will be presented to analyse the significance of test certificates, approved system descriptions and additional safety tests. This subject also includes issues such as the legal consequences of wrongly declared values, the investigation of the causes of defect and the minimisation of risk of personal injury through a risk analysis by the manufacturer. On Thursday, the session ‘Windows and facades in practice´ will cover subjects like ‘how to prepare basic documentation for CE marking for craftsman-made windows´ for companies producing hand-built joinery, ‘how to analyse and avoid design weaknesses and production defects´ as well as simple documentation of thermal and sound insulation properties for day-to-day practice.

The complete programme, including information about the speakers, abstracts of the presentations as well as all registration details are available online at www.ift-rosenheim.de.

Conference details:

Date Thursday 18th October to Friday 19th October 2007
Location Culture and Congress Center Rosenheim

Fees ift-members/each additional person (two days) non ift members/each additional person (two days)ift-members/each additional person (one day) non ift members/each additional person (one day) € 445,-/395,-€ 545,-/495,-€ 225,-/195,-€ 275,-/245,-

Organisation ift Rosenheim GmbH, Theodor-Gietl-Straße 7-9, 83026 Rosenheim
Registration By e-mail: fenstertage@ift-rosenheim.de

By fax: +49 (0) 8031/261 28 142
By phone: +49 (0) 8031/261 142