Project summary
| Application | Agricultural buildings |
| Location |
Peuerbach , Austria |
| Product(s) used | Heraklith® Agro |
| Building | Calf stables |
| Client | WK Immo, Mr Kurt Wiesinger |
The Heraklith® ceiling design helps us to raise healthy calves.
Challenge
In 2014, the management of a calf stable in Peuerbach, Austria performed construction modifications intended to improve the conditions of their stable environments and the health of the animals that live in them.
Among the most important design considerations were air flow and ventilation - which are critical to the raising of stabled farm animals of any kind. The design also needed to focus on the durability of the construction solution and its ability of to perform well under wide variations in outside temperatures and conditions.
Solution
The health of farm animals depends strongly on their environment. And air quality is a key factor in such environments. To raise healthy calves, for example, it is necessary to ensure that their stables are well-ventilated, free of drafts, and maintained within temperature and humidity ranges that minimize the chance of contracting disease. And a properly designed stable must meet such conditions throughout the year, even as outside temperatures and relative humidities fluctuate with the seasons.
For the calf stable in Peuerbach, Austria, these air-quality design challenges were addressed using 25-mm thick Heraklith® Agro boards with 100mm WDF in the construction of the stable ceiling. Heraklith® Agro boards contain pores that make them permeable to air and are designed help to control airflow in agricultural environments.This air permeability helps to ensure that airflows are distributed evenly over the entire ceiling and that the stable is properly ventilated at a wide range of air consumption rates.
The boards are also easy to install, provide good sound absorption, and exhibit almost no visible condensation in normal operation. And their ability to withstand impact without significant damage and to hold up under a wide range of environmental conditions allows them to maintain performance year-round and in a wide variety of natural conditions.
And the improved environment has had a major impact on the health of the calves, where the managers have reported an 80% reduction in the need for medicines required to keep the calves healthy - thanks in part to the properties of the Heraklith® Agro boards used in the project. The improved health of the calves has led, in turn, to a reduction in losses due to disease and an increase in turnover growth.
