Cellular Concrete Constructions in the Lot Increasingly Accessible as Habitat

Quercy Habitat, builder of individual houses for 40 years, straddling the departments of Lot and Tarn-et-Garonne (1), cultivates an avant-garde spirit in terms of new technologies: its flagship product: Ytong cellular concrete.

So far, houses built of concrete block or brick have represented the majority of constructions at Quercy Habitat. However, cellular concrete has become the premium material (of superior quality) offered by the manufacturer, in partnership with the leading product on the market: Ytong. On March 10, 2023, in Belfort-du-Quercy, the first house made of cellular concrete “Ytong 15”, was presented by Franck Boissel, the manager of Quercy Habitat.

The advantage of 15 cm blocks

For fifteen years, the company Quercy Habitat has been building houses in cellular concrete. In 2008, it signed its first “Low Consumption” home, almost 4 years before the entry into force of the RT 2012 standard establishing the first BBC houses (Low Consumption Building). In 2013, when the RT 2012 imposed itself, Quercy Habitat had already planned on positive energy houses. Objective achieved from constructions in cellular concrete blocks 50 cm thick. A partner of Quercy Habitat since the first constructions in cellular concrete, Ytong now highlights 15 cm blocks (Ytong compact 15), meeting the requirements of the new R2020 standard (2), while democratizing cellular concrete, by able to compete with traditional materials. The reduction in the thickness of the wall thanks to the cellular concrete blocks of 15 cm, offers the advantage of enlarging the surface of the dwellings for a cost similar to a wall of 20 cm in brick or concrete block.

“Until now, cellular concrete has struggled to conquer the construction markets, this new offer could change the situation”, believes Mr. Boissel. While in the Caussade – Montauban – Toulouse sectors, brick retains a few lengths ahead of other materials, the south of the Lot is being seduced by cellular concrete.

The interest of cellular concrete

“Aerated concrete improves thermal comfort” assures Mr. Boissel. At a thickness equivalent to a cinder block or a brick, cellular concrete offers better thermal resistance in homes, resulting in reduced energy consumption in winter. The strong phase shift of the cellular concrete (the time it takes for the heat or the cold to penetrate inside the dwelling) provides comfort similar to that of the old mud or stone houses. This material also has the qualities of a fire barrier.

In terms of cost, the cellular concrete house remains a little more expensive than brick or ordinary concrete construction. With regard to the question of supply, cellular concrete is still preserved, compared to brick or concrete block, in the grip of difficulties. Quercy Habitat builds between 25 and 30 buildings a year, nearly 40% of which are in cellular concrete.

The thermal resistance, for a block of cellular concrete is 1.40 for 15 cm thick, while for a brick 20 cm thick, the R is displayed at 1.10 and for the breeze block we go to 0.70. The higher the thermal resistance, the better the insulation for the house. Quercy Habitat also produces cellular concrete houses from compact blocks of 20, 25, 30, 36.5 and 42.5. For these last two thicknesses (36.5 and 42.5) there is no longer any need to add interior insulation. In these cases, the wall will be coated with lime or plaster, unless the interested party opts for the addition of a waterproof plate.

Contacts : [email protected] – www.quercy-habitat.fr  05 63 65 17 94

(1) Head office in Belfort-du-Quercy, Quercy Habitat covers the departments of Lot and Tarn-et-Garonne.

(2) RE 2020 is a standard whose objective is to implement the concept of BEPOS (positive energy building), and thus reduce the consumption of buildings, in particular by limiting the use of heating, air conditioning, lighting, domestic hot water and ventilation. The RE 2020 house must produce more energy than it consumes, so it must make maximum use of free energy sources and its energy needs are reduced to a minimum.

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