ENERGY

Buildings and infrastructure are central to the socio-economic transition towards achieving a sustainable and climate-neutral economy. People spend most of their lives in buildings, which are responsible for about 50% of energy consumption over their entire life cycle, 50% of all materials extracted, 30% of water consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in use. Currently, around 35% of buildings in the EU are more than 50 years old and almost 75% are energy inefficient. In addition, it is also essential to ensure people's health by guaranteeing indoor air quality...

Lines of I+D+i

One of the consequences of the new European and national regulations to achieve greater energy efficiency is the need to develop new building materials with better thermal performance. Not only from the point of view of thermal insulation, but also from the point of view of thermal inertia or circular economy. At CTCON we have the most advanced equipment (thermal conductivity equipment, surface temperature probes, flowmeter probes, etc.) with which to collaborate with manufacturers in the development of these new materials.

The development of increasingly efficient materials must be accompanied by new solutions and systems that are energy efficient, more sustainable than traditional practices and that guarantee a better quality of life. This includes the redesign of construction elements (façades, thermal envelopes, roofs, etc.), the integration of renewable energies embedded in buildings, the development of new energy use systems and the bioclimatic optimisation of buildings. To achieve these objectives, Life Cycle Analyses, simulations and energy monitoring are carried out.

Achieving a low-carbon built environment is a key strategic challenge in the European Union to achieve a prosperous, modern, competitive and climate-neutral economy by 2050 in the long term, in line with the Paris Agreement. Therefore, we must not only put the focus on materials and buildings in isolation, but on the whole built environment that make up neighbourhoods, towns and cities, developing innovative solutions for a sustainable, digitised, people-centred environment (Built4People), also ensuring compliance with the principles of the circular economy.

ACOUSTICS

The main cause of discomfort in the home is related to noise levels and poor sound insulation. This can also lead to health problems. In addition, vibrations are a huge field of knowledge that is important not only in machinery but also in our daily lives.

Lines of I+D+i

One of the consequences of the new European and national regulations is the need to develop new materials with improved acoustic properties that guarantee the comfort of people both in the home and in the built environment. This includes not only new acoustic insulation, but also other materials with specific acoustic uses, such as sound-absorbing floorings that guarantee the safety of pedestrians when electric vehicles circulate. At CTCON we have the equipment (acoustic cameras, sound level meter, omnidirectional sound source, etc.) with which to collaborate with manufacturers in the development of these new materials.

At CTCON we develop projects in all fields related to applied acoustics and acoustic engineering:

  • Acoustic DNA of the built environment
  • Acoustic control of buildings
  • Solutions for environmental noise reduction
  • Methodologies for acoustic studies and simulations
  • Noise Maps
  • Predictive simulation software
  • Acoustic warning systems
  • Vibrations in vehicles