Project summary
| Application | Agricultural buildings |
| Location |
Bachmanning , Austria |
| Product(s) used | Heraklith Agro |
| Building | Pigsty |
| Client | Voraberger KG, Mr Herbert Voraberger |
With this ceiling construction, I know that the pigsty performs as it must for the animals to feel comfortable.
Challenge
In 2013, the management of a pigsty in Bachmanning, Austria modified their facilities to improve the conditions of their environments and the health of the pigs that are housed in them. When preparing for the modifications, the planners and designers took special consideration of the air flow and ventilation in the sty - which are critical to the raising of stabled farm animals of any kind.
They also focused on the durability of the modifications and their ability of to perform well under a wide variety of environmental conditions.
Solution
All farm animals, including pigs, require a healthy environment in order to thrive. Pigs that live in unhealthy sties undergo stresses that can affect their reproduction rates and even the quality of their meat.
Air quality is a critical factor in the healthfulness of any pigsty, which is why it is important when designing the sty to ensure that the equipment and materials used in its construction promote proper ventilation. In particular, they must help prevent condensation and drafts, as well as maintain stable temperature and humidity levels, even as outside temperatures and relative-humidity levels vary with the seasons.
At the pigsty in Bachmanning, Austria, these challenges were addressed using 25-mm thick Heraklith Agro boards with 100mm WDF in the ceiling construction. Heraklith Agro boards contain pores that render them permeable to air and are designed to 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 pigsty is properly ventilated
at a wide range of air consumption rates.
The Agro boards are 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 helps them to maintain performance year-round and in a wide variety of conditions.
Thanks partly to the use of Heraklith Agro boards in the sty ceiling, the farm managment has witnessed an 80% reduction in the consumption of medicines required to keep the pigs healthy (relative to sties with conventional ceilings) - which translates into increased productivity at lower cost.
