Quality label in construction
A UNIQUE CERTIFICATE OF THE CONSTRUCTION IN SLOVENIA
Quality Label in Construction is awarded to products, equipment, technologies and services that meet high, professionally prepared and internationally comparable specifications of quality.
Additionally, suppliers of products and services shall implement a quality assurance system and work towards business excellence.
Environmental, social and economic aspects are also reviewed in the assessment process.
Building and Civil Engineering Institute ZRMK developed a system for assessment of products, equipment, technologies and services with corresponding criteria sets already in 1996, which laid foundations for establishment of the Quality Label in Construction (ZKG). This is a voluntary green label and a trade mark for outstanding quality. In the following year the first assessment was performed for windows manufactured in Slovenia. Until now 161 Quality Labels in Construction have been awarded in 28 areas of assessment.
Quality Label in Construction is awarded only to products, equipment, technologies and services that score a certain number of points in the process of assessment. The ZKG Awardee has the right to use the trade mark for the awarded products and services for a certain period of time.
The mission of Quality Label in Construction is to promote striving for excellence and quality and to increase competitiveness of products and services in the area of construction industry in Slovenia. The aims are to establish the label as an instrument of consumer information and protection, to improve quality of products and services, and to encourage the research and development of new products.
As a unique of this kind in Slovenia, this label took into account the environmental aspects already 18 years ago. The comprehensive quality which it stands for means much more than meeting solely technical requirements prescribed by standards and regulations. Use of awarded products and services must be satisfying for all – investors, buyers, users and society at large. This is possible only when the criteria include the latest and highest requirements concerning products or service implementation, production or business system, installation and use along with an established system of continuous development and improvement, a highlighted concern for environmental protection, and management of the entire product life cycle. Costs of utilization, maintenance and decommissioning can be greatly reduced by proper selection of products and their correct installation. All this also raises the quality of the built environment in general.
Jury
The evaluation committee consist only of independent experts who are not in conjunction with applicants and feature extensive experience of managing development departments.
In assesment of R&D achievments in technology the emphasis is on evaluating new developments of a product or device or technology improvements which is supported by a patent or other measurable evidence. As Quality Label in Construction is an optional environmental certification it focuses also on socio-economic social, economic and environmental aspects of assesment of a product, service, device or technology.
In addition to the members of the commission the assesment procedure involves also experts-rapporteurs in the areas of finance, customers and investor satisfaction and investors as well as in the area of safety and health of employees.
Winners of the Quality Mark in Construction Award
MIK Celje Company for the installation of the MIK exterior builders' joinery with the MIKrovent integrated ventilation system
One of MIK’s activities is the installation of exterior builders’ joinery manufactured in-house. In addition to builders’ joinery with appropriate quality certificates, customers are also offered the “MIKrovent’ integrated local ventilation system, which is the result of their own development and represents an ingenious and appropriate solution when replacing or installing new windows. This solution increases energy efficiency, meets ventilation regulations, enhances the quality of the living and working environment and improves the health and well-being of the occupants.
The GRAS Company for structural reinforcement and moisture remediation of heritage buildings
GRAS is a specialised construction company, dealing mainly with reinforcement and strengthening of load-bearing and perimeter structures and the elimination of capillary damp of buildings. They are one of the most reputable contractors in their field, having been involved in the most demanding projects in Slovenia and abroad. Due to their special cultural heritage status, they are obliged to achieve a higher quality than prescribed in their work. They put into practice innovative and tested solutions by applying quality and proven materials, and they cooperate with the heritage services and other experts.
Winners of the Quality Mark in Construction Award
Modern installation of SATLER Outdoor Builders’ Joinery
One of the activities of SATLER Windows and Doors is also the installation of outdoor builders’ joinery of its own production. Customers are offered PVC, wooden and aluminium windows, and doors, blinds, sills and mosquito nets. All their products have appropriate quality certificates, declarations of performance and CE markings, which also applies to other materials used in the installation, e. g. fastenings and sealants. They have been installed in line with good construction practice or state of the art (better known as “RAL installation”) for many years. When installing, they employ internal modern installation guidelines, which follow state-of-the art principles. They use quality materials and modern tools, and respect the rules of the profession.
ROTERRA DRIVE Drive-On Tank
The ROTO ECO Company was awarded the environmental certification Quality Label in Construction for the development of a polyethylene tank called ROTERRRA DRIVE, which is a novelty on the global market. The tank is suitable for installation under drive-on surfaces and does not require additional concrete slabs. The development of the award-winning tank followed the direction of multifunctional and structural solutions, which also allows the maximum possible use of the available transport volume and the possibility of installation under drive-on surfaces, thereby expanding the areas of installation. The basic raw material for production is polyethylene (PE), which is 100% recyclable at the end of its useful life, since a composite from primary and secondary raw material has also been developed.
Winners of the Quality Mark in Construction Award
MIK Company for the MIKrovent local ventilation system
Justification of the commission
The MIK Company has been awarded an environmental certificate for the development of the MIKrovent local ventilation system with heat recovery with capacities of 35, 40, 60, 120, 350, 450 and 800 m3/h.
MIKrovent is designed according to Eco Design requirements and belongs to the category of recuperators with higher energy efficiency for the ventilation of living and working spaces. As much as 70% of the components of their ventilation systems are the result of Slovenian know-how and origin. In addition, they continuously invest in the development and improvement of all MIKrovent devices in the process of operation, component installation and production, thereby following the results of their own and foreign tests and developments in the field.
LUMAR IG Company for introducing the concept of sustainability in their houses
Justification of the commission
A few years ago, they started R&D activities for the construction of Active Houses, covering the key elements of sustainability: living comfort, rational use of energy and environmental impacts. In the area of living comfort, they focused on improvements in sound insulation, natural lighting and thermal comfort solutions. In the field of energy, they rely on the solutions developed for “Nearly Zero Energy Homes”, e.g., the integration of a solar power plant into the canopy and the implementation of smart installations for integrated energy management within the building. In doing so, they take into account the environmental impact of individual materials on the final environmental footprint of the building as a whole. The Lumar Company is one of the key interlocutors in the search for answers on how to develop modern construction with sustainability in mind.
Winners of the Quality Mark in Construction Award
MIK Celje Company for the modern installation of "MIK" builders’ joinery with the integrated ventilation system MIKrovent
The company has been awarded the Environmental Quality Mark in Construction for the modern installation of windows, balcony and entrance doors made of various materials such as wood, PVC, aluminium and the combinations of these materials, marketed under the “MIK” brand, including the integrated local ventilation system MIKrovent in new buildings and renovations. In addition to the building elements and the local ventilation system, they also install blinds, chimneys, mosquito nets, external and internal sills, for which they have relevant quality certificates.
The integration of the MIKrovent local ventilation system, which is the result of their own development, into a window or door assembly is commendable and represents a suitable solution, especially for residential buildings (houses and apartments). This also meets the requirements for greater energy efficiency and ventilation regulations, thus improving living and working conditions in the premises, which has an impact on the health and well-being of the occupants.
Kronoterm Company for the Adapt heat pump
The Adapt air-to-water heat pump is the result of the company’s own development, since for almost three decades it has been successfully developing, manufacturing and marketing heat pumps that meet all regulatory requirements and contribute to more efficient use of energy and increased use of renewable energy sources, for both domestic and foreign markets. The development of the Adapt heat pump has not only been driven by technical and technological improvements and innovative solutions, the optimisation of the production process, easy installation, quiet operation and maintenance, but also by design. The appliance is suitable for residential houses with underfloor or radiator heating, but it is also suitable for cooling the building and for domestic hot water production.
Winners of the Quality Mark in Construction Award
LUMAR IG Company for the "Lumar" System Solutions for Nearly Zero Energy Houses
The LUMAR IG Company has been awarded the ZKG Environmental Award for the development of system solutions for nearly zero-energy houses of its own production and brand. In order to meet the criteria of highly energy-efficient houses, several research and development tasks were carried out within the framework of the in-house development team registered with the ARRS (Slovenian Research Agency) , namely: Optimisation of four external wall construction systems – Lumar Prestige, Lumar Passive Energy, Lumar Passive Energy Eco and Lumar Massive; analysis and detailing solutions to prevent thermal bridges; ensuring the target airtightness of the building envelope; plinth detailing solutions; modern installation of building elements; improved sound insulation of the mezzanine structure; optimisation of the heating and ventilation systems. The aim of the research and development assignments is to find, develop and implement appropriate system solutions that can be applied to all the houses of their own production, i.e., standard or ‘catalogue’ houses and houses designed by their own architectural firm or by external architects. All the above system solutions have been certified and proven by independent institutions.
Roto Company for the Eco Box SBR-Q wastewater treatment plant
The Roto Company has already been awarded its sixth ZKG Award for Development and Technological Achievement, this time for the small wastewater treatment plant ECO BOX SBR-Q, supported by technology that enables telemetric control of the operation of small wastewater treatment plants, which is a novelty on the market and an upgrade of the existing biological wastewater treatment plants with the so-called SBR operation or cyclical treatment of wastewater. Product development is carried out in their own development centre from idea to implementation in the production process. The optimisation of the working process is also an important part of the development. It is also commendable that in less than a year they have managed to sell as many as 10 such treatment plants. The ECO BOX SBR-Q consists of a watertight and mechanically stable tank, also suitable for driving surfaces and areas with high groundwater, as well as of modern control technology with remote intelligent control and a system for transmitting and converting data into a computer format. Operation and control are also made possible via a tablet or mobile phone, allowing energy consumption to be monitored, data to be analysed, services to be ordered and switching between regular and holiday operation, even remotely. The treatment plant is certified, including by the National Institute of Public Health. The company operates in accordance with the acquired ISO 9001 and 14001 certificates.
Winners of the Quality Mark in Construction Award
AJM Company, Pesnica near Maribor for the modern installation of exterior builders’ joinery "AJM"
The AJM Company has been awarded the ZKG award for the modern installation of its own manufactured exterior builder’s joinery, also known as RAL-compliant installation. They install windows in wood, PVC, aluminium and the combinations of these materials – wood or PVC with aluminium cladding – as well as blinds and sills. In addition to the modern installation method, they also offer special designs depending on the characteristics of the project and the type of the supporting structure. All the materials and system solutions used are certified, the work process is prepared in accordance with SIST EN ISO 9001, and the installation process uses quality materials, system solutions and tools, following the modern rules of the trade. They have a continuous quality control system in place and can also boast of providing service and maintenance of their builders’ joinery even after the warranty period has expired. It is also commendable that they were the first in Slovenia to start regular additional training for installers and to prepare written instructions for installers on the process and methods of modern installation, which they are continuously upgrading.
MIK Company, Vojnik near Celje for the local ventilation unit "MIKrovent 30 / 60 / 120"
The MIK Company has been awarded the Quality Mark in Construction for the “MIKrovent 30/60/120” local ventilation unit, which is a development and technological achievement.
The development achievement is represented by the MIKrovent ventilation unit (patents were also obtained), which is entirely the result of domestic know-how. And it is a world innovation, boasting innovative cross-flow heat exchanger solutions. Much attention has been paid to noise reduction, the installation of various filters and protection against radon, as well as to design and functional improvements.
The unit is designed to provide a sufficient amount of fresh air in living and working spaces, achieving ventilation efficiencies of 80 to 95%, depending on the air flow rate. The unit can be installed in extended window profiles, in roller shutter cabinets or on its own on the wall.
The investment in an experimental chamber (laboratory), where different climatic conditions can be simulated, is also commendable, allowing the solutions to be continuously corrected and upgraded already during the development phase.
As an environmentally oriented company, they offer a complete service to their customers, from advice and installation to servicing, maintenance and removal.
Winners of the Quality Mark in Construction Award
Hipox d.o.o. Company for the execution of flat roofs and terraces
The HIPOX Company is mainly involved in specialised construction work, including the execution of flat roofs and terraces. They carry out works on new constructions and renovations on industrial, commercial, public and multi-apartment buildings.
They execute all types of flat roofs and terraces, classic and inverted in both variants – plus flat roof and double roof. Waterproofing is provided by waterproofing layers, mostly elasto-bitumen strips. They are also qualified to install other types of waterproofing layers, e.g., synthetic materials.
They are actively involved already in the design process by providing technical and technological solutions and possible implementation details. They have a permanent quality control system in place and can boast of the state-of-the-art machinery, which allows them to carry out the work more easily, quickly and to a higher quality.
The management of the business process and business system is commendable. They take exemplary care of additional training, occupational safety and health of employees and pay great attention to care for the environment.
Slovenijales trade d.o.o. Company for the modern installation of Slovenijales exterior builders’ joinery
The Slovenijales Trgovina Company has been awarded the Quality Mark in Construction for the modern installation of exterior builders’ joinery, also known as RAL-compliant installation.
They mainly install the Jelovica builders’ joinery, for which they have the relevant certificates, and the same applies to other materials they install. Jelovica provides them with all the professional support, technical and technological assistance, as it has its own laboratory and in-house development. Together they also solve thermal bridges and other details in the field of building physics. All installation solutions are prepared in cooperation with the development department at Jelovica and with authorised experts of sealing systems.
They keep a record of the progress of the work with photo documentation, and the acceptance of the completed work is only carried out after a thorough inspection by themselves and by the client’s representatives. They also offer servicing to customers for a fee.
Detailed installation instructions are available to installation teams. They provide continuous training for their employees and ensure their health and safety at work.
DOBITNIKA PRIZNANJA ZNAK KAKOVOSTI V GRADITELJSTVU
DOBITNIKA PRIZNANJA ZNAK KAKOVOSTI V GRADITELJSTVU
Priznanja Znak kakovosti v graditeljstvu 2015 je izbrala strokovna komisija v sestavi
Mag. Miha Tomšič, univ. dipl. inž. grad.
Doc. dr. Marjana Šijanec Zavrl, univ. dipl. inž. grad.
Tone Bohinc, univ. dipl. inž. les.
Neva Jejčič, univ. dipl. inž. arh.
DOBITNIKA PRIZNANJA ZNAK KAKOVOSTI V GRADITELJSTVU
