CERTIFICATION: ADDED VALUE FOR
CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

The ACERMI search engine optimizes
the selection of insulation based on its use

Because a certified product installed in accordance with industry standards and perfectly suited to the desired application provides optimum insulation, the Association for Certification of Insulating Materials (ACERMI) added a new research criterion in 2018—“end use”—on its website www.acermi.com

After a year of work, representatives of insulation manufacturers and dedicated teams from ACERMI, the CSTB and the National Metrology and Test Laboratory (LNE) defined for each product/use family pair the minimum characteristics expected based on Documents Techniques Unifiés (DTUs), professional rules and guidelines, Technical Appraisals, Technical Application Documents (DTAs), and favorable Type A Technical Experimentation Assessments (ATEx). Based on this work, an easy-to-use, free tool was created cross-referencing 29 ACERMI-certified insulation families with 32 different uses.

With this usage concept embedded into certification, ACERMI goes beyond European standards, which only cover the intrinsic characteristics of each insulation material produced at a factory. Based on installation reference documents, ACERMI certification specifies the suitability of an insulation material for the use claimed by the manufacturer.

Until now, searches were by type of material, thermal performance, or manufacturer. ACERMI then certified the product’s intrinsic characteristics, such as thermal performance, fire resistance and water resistance.

In parallel, the application documents detailed the pertinent characteristics for a specific use. Thanks to search by type of use in the building, the user can immediately view the insulation materials for a defined purpose.

Search for an insulation material by its end use: reliable and verified information

1. Industrial companies can declare uses for the insulation materials they manufacture, in accordance with the cross-reference table prepared by ACERMI. So far, 372 of 868 certificates have included use.

2. ACERMI checks that all the characteristics (especially those related to thermal properties, tension, compression, and reaction to fire) correspond to the use.

In this approach highlighting use, ACERMI states that insulation material “X” is fit for purpose and that installation rules must be fully respected. That is why all ACERMI certificates include the following note: “The product receiving this certificate can be used for the uses specified in the table below. The installation of this product is listed in reference documents, such as DTUs, professional rules and guidelines, Technical Appraisals and Technical Application Documents. It is the responsibility of the project owner, project manager and company to verify that the use of this certificate corresponds to the applicable versions of industry standards.”

3. When users, contractors or artisans search for a product to insulate an attic, wall or floor, they use the ACERMI search engine to find the insulation materials suitable for the use they need.

Find out more :

• www.acermi.com

The CSTB, attentive to the needs of stakeholders in the piping market, with QB 08 “Water supply or drainage piping”

In order to respond to the needs of the piping sector and its clients, the CSTB has divided the QB certification into two levels of performance.

The first level deals only with the requirements of the European standards (basic sizing characteristics, 50-year durability, fitness for purpose and use).

The second level offers options with more stringent requirements than those of the European standards, to highlight the performance of the products and give them an edge on the market. These options include: better oxidation resistance, which is a crucial factor in evaluating the lifetime of piping systems, and better fitness for purpose of the products at very high temperatures (tests at 110° instead of at 95°).

A water supply and drainage system is built by assembling a large number of pipes and connections, with the initial installation followed by replacements made over time as maintenance and repairs are carried out. For open systems made of PEX and PB, in order to facilitate the work of the consulting firms and contractors, the CSTB uses its tests to ensure that all QB08 certified pipes and connections are compatible with each other, so that products from different brands are interchangeable.

* Traditional products: Heating and/or sanitary water supply and/or chilled water piping systems in PEX and PB; connections for PEX/ PB pipes, multilayer pipes and related connections and polyethylene water drainage pipes.

Find out more :

• QB 08 leaflet "Water supply and drainage piping"

QB: new products and applications and the first certified products

QB is a mark of the quality, performance and reliability of products and systems used in construction, which covers the certification of products and services. QB is intended for all professionals - manufacturers, contractors, standards organizations and project owners - to guide them and confirm them in their choice. The CSTB assigns classifications with the QB mark to make it easier to select products based on their intended use. At the end of 2018, the QB mark covered 33 applications in many families of construction materials, products and equipment.

Several new product certifications were proposed by QB Certification in 2018.

Wall cladding and roofs: 1 new QB application and the first certificates for 2 applications

In wall cladding and roofs, a new QB application came out in 2018 for sandwich panels. QB is the only certification on the European market that certifies the load/span tables, the area of application in seismic zones and the monitoring of the manufacturing process for mainland France. This certification complements the ACERMI certification, which focuses on the thermal resistance of panels and the product standard. The first certificates were issued for two new certifications launched in 2017: underlays used in wood-frame exterior walls and ventilated hips and ridges. The underlay certification applies to kits comprising a self-adhesive underlay and/or an underlay with separate adhesive strips supplied with it. The certification is associated with the EJ classification (distance between centerlines and seal), and the ventilated hip and ridge application has the GEV classification (adaptability, behavior in the presence of water and ventilation capacity).

Windows and Glazing: 2 new certifications and a switch from approval to QB certification

With the new “Coated Profiles” QB certification, the CSTB offers the possibility of certifying coating products (lacquers and laminating foils) and the profiles coated with these products, in response to the new trends in this market, towards the customization of windows. A new “Steel Reinforcement” QB certification was introduced for glazed products, useful for PVC profiles which must be reinforced. The material of window seals, which form a barrier against water and air, went from an approval to QB certification on January 1, 2018.

Floor coverings: switch of resilient products and textile floor coverings to QB UPEC, a new F+ option for ceramic tiles and a new family for QB cement mortars

Also new in 2018 for floor coverings: the switch of resilient floor coverings and textile floor coverings from NF UPEC to QB UPEC on January 1, 2019. Also new for ceramic tiles: a new F+ option that certifies the capability of ceramic tiles to be used on studs. A new family has been created as part of QB “Mortars, adhesives and related products”, focusing on water protection systems under tiles, for when tiles are used on water-sensitive substrates, with 14 certificates issued in 2018.

33 applications and more than 2,500 valid certificates for QB

At the end of 2018, the QB mark covered 33 applications and more than 2,500 valid QB certificates, listed on the website evaluation.cstb.fr, so that standards organizations and users can make the best choice out of 450 families of construction products, services and equipment: more than 10,000 QB certified products.

On the website evaluation.cstb.fr all the stakeholders can find the information they need about the QB certification mark, according to their activity – reference documents and factsheets summarizing each certification, a list of valid certificates, and more.

Find the CLASSIFICATION of a family of products:

UPEC
Floor coverings for homes and non-residential buildings

EJ
Flexible wall underlays

EST
Roof underlayments that provide weatherproofing of the roof

GEV
Roof underlayments that provide weatherproofing of the roof

TRAME
Meshes that reinforce external wall rendering

SEESAME
Products associated with accessibility for people

All certificates on new product families

• FLOOR COVERING :
  • ceramic tiles – QB32
  • resilient floor coverings – QB30
  • textile floor coverings – QB31
  • single-layer plaster mortars – QB 11-03
  • thin layer mortars for small masonry units – QB11-04
• DOOR AND WINDOW FRAMES :
  • coating products (lacquers and laminating foils) – QB 33-01
  • coated profiles (lacquered and laminated profiles) – QB33-02
  • steel reinforcements – QB44
  • flexible materials – QB36
• WALL CLADDING, ROOFING MATERIALS AND RELATED PRODUCTS :
  • underlays – QB38
  • ventilated hip and ridge – QB35
  • sandwich panels – QB42

Find out more :

• The QB mark and its applications

• Certified products in the different product families

NF window certification campaign

The CSTB, French Technology Institute for Forestry, Cellulose, Wood Construction and Furniture (FCBA) and Union of Exterior Carpentry Manufacturers (UFME) continued its information drive dedicated to NF-certified windows in 2018. It builds on previous campaigns developed since 2012 to promote “Fenêtres NF.”

The advertising campaign on TV and in the press uses humor to put a sales rep and a customer in an awkward situation. It touches on thermal and sound insulation topics, the main interests of people buying windows. This 20-second skit summarizes the criteria required for NF certification, a quality mark for safe and efficient windows that perfectly insulate from noise, drafts and cold over the long term.

The 2018 campaign follows a media plan that combines broadcasting a skit on France Télévisions channels—France 2 and France 5—and BFM TV in prime time with ads in major decoration and interior design magazines (including Maison & Travaux, Maison Créative and Système D).

Available at fenetres-nf.fr and the websites of the UFME, FCBA and CSTB, the commercial can also be viewed on YouTube and shared on social media.

For more information about NF-certified windows: www.fenetres-nf.fr.

After Grenoble, the CSTB inaugurated
a second training center for window installation
in La Rochelle and opened another
in the Paris region

Because skilled installation guarantees the expected performance of windows (including thermal, acoustic, air permeability, water tightness and wind stability), the CSTB wanted to extend the regional coverage of its training offering with the opening of a new center in La Rochelle.

The CSTB offers several special training modules for window installation to guide contractors, artisans, installers, installation managers, quantity surveyors, technicians, sales representatives, industrial manufacturers, consulting firms and others to make the most of these products.

To train as many people as possible, the CSTB set up an extensive network to guide stakeholders throughout regions. After the Grenoble center, the CSTB opened its new training platform for window installation in La Rochelle, in partnership with TIPEE.

The courses are based on real installation situations for various types of walls, all frames and all materials, alternating with theoretical and instructional videos.
The training offered by the Windows and Glazing Department of the CSTB gives trainees the following skills:

• Choosing the product and its installation method based on the circumstances
• Managing the installation of a product and its components in accordance with industry standards using the right techniques

In 2019, the expansion of window installation training will continue in the Paris region in Cité Descartes in Marne-la-Vallée, which will host the third special training center of the CSTB, in partnership with Les Compagnons du Devoir.

Companies committed to the quality of window installation will be able to promote their excellence with the QB “window installation service” certification.

Find out more :

• Window installation training

• Sophie.Cuenot@cstb.fr

Ready2Services label: When buildings become platforms for digital technologies

In June 2018, Certivéa and the Smart Buildings Alliance (SBA) presented the Ready2Services (R2S) label and the initial feedback from pilot operations. This label offers an innovative reference system for nonresidential buildings providing digitally innovative services to building occupants.

The R2S label was designed to be both a guide to help the construction industry take full advantage of digital technologies and a tool that promotes plug and play projects offering the most complete service packages for buildings serving occupants.

The R2S label covers of 6 areas:

• Services
• Digital security
• Facilities and interfaces
• Connectivity
• Network architecture
• Responsible management

The label is based on the framework jointly developed with the SBA and Alliance HQE-GBC—the outcome of nearly two years of collaboration between all the stakeholders. It is included in the charter “Connected buildings for socially oriented, human-centered buildings” supported by the French Ministry of Territorial Cohesion and Relations with Local Authorities and signed by 100 construction industry and digital technology stakeholders.

At the launch conference, 12 projects received their pilot R2S certificates, the first label for connected buildings designed to serve users and the sustainable city.

The R2S label is now fully operational and was issued for the first time in May 2019 to Covivio for the Riverside Building in Toulouse.

Pilot projects in 2018 (alphabetical order):

• « 16 Georges V » from Allianz Real Estate - design phase
• « Richelieu » building from Altarea Cogedim - design phase
• « L’Archipel » from Vinci Immobilier – design phase
• « Rueil les Fontaines » from BNP Parisbas Real Estate - construction phase
• The future « Bouygues Bâtiment Centre Sud-Ouest Bordeaux » headquarters from Bouygues Construction - design phase
• « Riverside » from Covivio (Foncière des Régions) - construction phase
• « Hôtel des Postes de Nantes » from Poste Immo – design phase
• « PB5 Scor » and « Open » from ICADE – operational phase
• « Tour Duo » from Ivanhoe Cambridge – construction phase
• Orléans Métropole and the digital technology incubator « Lab’O » - renovation phase
• « Campus » from TDF - operational phase