{"id":18429,"date":"2017-01-11T15:30:37","date_gmt":"2017-01-11T14:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.popup-house.com\/?p=18429"},"modified":"2019-02-14T15:15:42","modified_gmt":"2019-02-14T14:15:42","slug":"polystyrene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.popup-house.com\/en\/polystyrene\/","title":{"rendered":"Polystyrene and sustainable development?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among the wide variety of insulation materials on the market, PopUp House selected graphite expanded polystyrene to use for its building system. How does this material fit in with a commitment to <\/span>sustainable development<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n

ADVANTAGES OF POLYSTYRENE<\/b><\/p>\n

This material is <\/span>one of the best insulators on the market<\/b>: for example, to have the same performance as 30 cm thickness of EPS (PopUp wall thickness), you would need 37cm of wood fiber insulation. This performance does not translate into added cost. On the contrary, EPS is <\/span>one of the least-expensive insulation materials on the market<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to this choice in material, PopUp House is able to accomplish its ambition of making the passive house <\/b>accessible<\/b><\/a>. <\/b><\/p>\n

EPS has another advantage: it is delivered in the form of rigid, lightweight insulation blocks, <\/span>making for a quick and easy installation<\/b>. It <\/span>doesn\u2019t shrink or contract over time<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Expanded<\/p>\n

POLYSTYRENE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT<\/b><\/p>\n

This type of polystyrene is composed of <\/span>98% air<\/b>. The remaining 2% comes from the upcycling of a product derived from oil refining: naphtha. Since it is unusable as fuel, it <\/span>would become waste<\/b> if it wasn\u2019t used to make polystyrene. EPS is created in a process where tiny balls of styrene are expanded with <\/span>water vapo<\/b>r (without adhesive or solvent). The base component, the monomer styrene, is a naturally-occuring substance <\/span>found in plants<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Contrary to popular belief, EPS is <\/span>not bad for your health or the environment. <\/b>The material holds a <\/span>Fiche de D\u00e9claration Environnementale et Sanitaire<\/b><\/a> (FDES – product lifecycle analysis) in France. It is <\/span>inert, stable over time, non toxic, and non pollutant<\/b>. For these reasons, it is often used as food packaging since it does not cause allergic reactions or sickness. Similarly, it does not attack water or soil. <\/span>No protection<\/b> is required when handling EPS. The EPS used by PopUp House is also <\/span>fire-resistant<\/b>: it will therefore not ignite during a fire and does not emit any gas. <\/span><\/p>\n

CARBON FOOTPRINT OF EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s great environmental concern is the <\/span>reduction of our carbon footprint<\/b>. In this challenge, EPS represents an advantage: at equivalent thermal performance leves, the carbon footprint of a house insulated with EPS will be <\/span>better than that of a brick house and comparable to that of a wooden house<\/b> insulated with wood fiber.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why?<\/span><\/p>\n