5. Acoustic and thermal performance of steel envelopes

As explained above, double-skin cladding and sandwich panels were developed in the 1970s in the wake of the oil crises, as a solution to the thermal insulation needs of industrial buildings.

As techniques and regulations have evolved, the need for insulation has gradually increased for all types of building, with ever more stringent requirements and more ambitious targets, such as low-energy buildings (BBC) and positive-energy constructions planned for 2020.

Alongside thermal requirements, acoustic requirements have also become more stringent over the last thirty...