Viega

The 2015 ISH Show in Frankfurt, Germany, by all accounts, did not disappoint. The show was spectacular and grandiose in size and attendance. In fact, official numbers released from the show indicate record numbers in attendance — 198,000 visitors, a new exhibitor record and a significant increase in the level of international guests.

 

ISH is the leading exhibition for sustainable sanitation solutions, innovative bathroom design and energy-efficient heating technologies in combination with renewable energies and environmentally friendly air conditioning, cooling and ventilation technology. This year, it once again brought together the sector’s most important subjects at the same time and place, and covered all horizontal and vertical aspects of future-oriented building solutions with the extensive range of products and services to be seen.

 

The ISH Water section was characterized by sustainable sanitation solutions for individual user requirements arising from the process of demographic change, as well as by innovative water management and drinking-water hygiene. On the Energy side, the focus was on energy efficiency as the second pillar of the new energy paradigm, i.e., the shift away from nuclear power. Modern heating, air-conditioning, cooling and ventilation technologies have a huge potential for cutting energy consumption and represent an important step on the way to achieving climate targets.

 

According to ISH, the claim of the being the world’s leading trade fair for the sector was substantiated by a 16% increase in the number of international visitors to 74,100—up from 63.985 in 2013) with the largest national contingents coming from Italy, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and China. Significant growth in visitor numbers from the USA, Great Britain and Ireland are also evidence of a noticeable economic recovery in important sanitation, heating and air-conditioning markets. Altogether, there were 618 new exhibitors at ISH 2015: 161 of them from Germany, 89 from Italy and 23 from Spain, which indicates a gradual market recovery.

 

Yet I had heard that only 4% of total visitors were from the Unites States and finding English-speaking booth attendees proved arduous at times. Look for the Union Jack lapel and you’ve found someone that can speak the language.

If you haven’t been to ISH, there are 11 pavilions—with multiple levels—that are categorized by the bathroom experience; air conditioning, cooling and ventilation; building and energy technology/renewable energies; installation technology; home and building automation. There is plenty to see so if you plan to visit in 2017—the show takes place every other year—be sure to take as much time as you can. I attended three days at the show and wasn’t even able to see much of the show. “Overwhelming,” said Bob Short, Short’s Plumbing & Heating, Livingston, Montana. “It’s big, but in a good way.”

Additional feedback I received from the show was that the booths were large, clean, modern in appearance, and spacious enough to get around. Some of drawbacks were that a lot of the booths, again, did not have an English-speaking contingent. Also, what you see in this European trade show is, well, just that — European. A lot of the products and technology is not “transferable” to the U.S. based upon code compliance, early adoption or some products and/or technology are years down the pipeline for U.S. use.

 

Personally, the show is incredible, but its size can be daunting; wearing a comfortable pair of shoes is a must because you’ll do you good share of walking. I wish the show was a little easier to navigate but the ISH downloadable app was a plus while trying to find favorites to visit. I was issued free Wi-Fi with a press pass, but even that got a little spotty and non-existent at times.

 

I was fortunate enough to spend some time—during and after the show—with gracious company hosts Aquatherm and Viega, who both have major manufacturing facilities to the north of Frankfurt, in Attendorn, Germany. I know of several other contractors who were invited by manufacturers to visit the ISH Show and to do some Germany sightseeing. This might be a great way to get an opportunity to go overseas and visit the show.

 

The feedback from the exhibitors was incredibly positive; you can’t deny the traffic in the booths was high. It should be noted that all visitors weren’t wearing their ISH badges, or perhaps they weren’t even issued one. It’s nice to see names on badges to do a little scouting prior to initial introductions.

 

Overall, the ISH Show was well worth the trip over the pond. If you can find it in your budget—time-wise and monetarily— I would highly suggest making the trek in 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CSHQA, an award-winning design firm in Boise, Idaho, leads by example and adapts to changing practices and technologies in business, architecture and engineering. When renovating its new office, the firm decided to install radiant heating and cooling. After completing energy modeling and cost comparisons for six different systems, the team decided on the Viega ProRadiant solution.

 

The radiant floor heating and cooling system required 4.6 miles of Viega PEX Barrier tubing to be installed along with more than 12,000 square feet of Viega insulating panels. Viega technical services assisted in finalizing the design, fine-tuning the layout and zones, as well as provided support throughout the process.

 

Commissioning results show the building’s Energy Use Intensity (EUI) at approximately one-third the level that is standard for commercial office buildings in Idaho. When the project was finished, CSHQA chose to showcase part of the radiant flooring under a glass panel since it was one of the few building systems that was not visible.

 

The CSHQA office project was completed to LEED Platinum standards with official certification expected in 2015. The building is the largest in the state of Idaho to be cooled with a geothermal system and receive merit recognition by ENR Mountain States as a2014 Best Project.

www.viega.us

Wichita, Kan. — Viega announces vertical integration of its PEX tubing manufacturing process. The company’s resource consolidation includes producing resin and extruding PEX tubing, which makes Viega the only manufacturer to quality control PEX tubing from the raw-material stage through the finished product.

ViegaPEX Ultra tubing, which offers the highest industry ratings for UV exposure and chlorine resistance, is extruded from Viega’s own resin. This step creates higher quality product that will provide excellent performance and offers increased flexibility compared to tubing made from third-party resins. ViegaPEX Ultra tubing can withstand up to six months of exposure to sunlight without damaging its performance.

The increased flexibility of Viega’s PEX tubing helps installers reduce labor costs and minimize materials costs by needing fewer fittings. This also decreases the potential for leak points in a plumbing system.

“Beyond offering higher UV exposure ratings and cost savings to our customers, making PEX from our own resin increases Viega’s freedom to research product quality,” said Paige Riddle, product manager, Viega. “By controlling the quality of PEX tubing from start to finish, Viega has taken another step in keeping our quality the highest and providing innovative opportunities for our partners.”

Viega has a heritage of manufacturing excellent high-performance products and innovative concepts such as its PEX solutions which include ViegaPEX Ultra tubing, Viega ManaBloc and Viega PEX Press fittings.

Wichita, Kan. — Viega announces its partnership with the Center for the Built Environment (CBE) at University of California, Berkeley. The association will enable CBE and Viega to work together in educating the industry on new and more efficient technologies for commercial integrated hydronics systems.

CBE is a place where industry leaders and internationally recognized researchers cooperate to produce substantial, holistic and far-sighted research on buildings.

Fred Bauman, P.E., a prominent scientist at CBE, is leading a research program on advanced integrated systems with a focus on radiant slab cooling, also known as thermally activated building systems (TABS). CBE recently accepted a $3 million grant over the next three years on radiant slab systems to research methods for optimizing radiant systems for energy efficiency and comfort. Research provides more performance data that allows for guidelines for design and controls.

Viega and CBE are collaborating to develop training sessions and use the research for innovative product advancements and design guidelines.

“We are honored to be associated with CBE,” said Mark Parent, director of product management, Viega. “There is a lack of industry knowledge when it comes to radiant heating and cooling. Our hope is to help educate the industry on newer and more efficient technologies when designing commercial integrated hydronics systems.”

Viega provides versatile radiant heating and cooling systems in the industry. Suitable for residential, commercial or industrial applications, Viega ProRadiant^™ heating and cooling solutions include ViegaPEX^™ Barrier tubing, Viega FostaPEX^® tubing, Viega PEX Press fittings, manifolds, controls, mixing stations, sensors, mats, panels, tracks and plates.

CBE’s mission is to improve the environmental quality and energy efficiency of buildings by providing timely, unbiased information on building technologies, design and operation techniques.