Under the management of architect Kevin Nechelput and ir. architect Valerie Van Gucht, AEON Architecten primarily specialises in the renovation and new build of high-end residential and corporate buildings. Efficiency and sustainability in construction and refurbishment are among the key motivations of the dedicated team of architects - and among the challenges posed by any building in need of refurbishment. In order to implement projects more cost-effectively and efficiently, Kevin Nechelput relies on optimised processes and a high degree of forward planning. This includes a thorough analysis of the building material, as early as the planning phase, in order to reliably detect hidden energy deficiencies at an early stage.
AEON’s architects value the cooperation with high-performance partners and products in order to implement building and renovation projects perfectly. They were happy to test the new testo 883 thermal imaging camera with professional software testo IRSoft. The camera offers best image quality with an infrared resolution of 320 x 240 Pixels, which can be expanded to 640 x 480 pixels with the built-in testo SuperResolution technology. In addition, the thermal sensitivity of < 40 mK makes even the smallest temperature differences visible.
The challenge
One of the greatest challenges in efficient building refurbishment is to identify energy deficiencies at an early stage, i.e. in the planning phase. Thus, one of the most important project requirements Kevin Nechelput and team have to face is the careful inspection, analysis and documentation of the building shells and building substances commissioned for refurbishment - always with the aim of detecting energy losses. The team of architects pay special attention to the typical weak points that buildings in need of renovation usually have, such as in the area of heating, piping or cold bridges. If defects are only discovered after the fact, the schedule and budget for the renovation project can sharply increase. The experienced architects attach great importance to quality checks on measures carried out, for example after the installation of insulation or heating/air-conditioning system, in order to assess the correct execution. Another focus is on accurate stocktaking, because the time and cost framework of a conversion or renovation can only be bindingly adhered to if the project is perfectly prepared.
For the defect analysis, Kevin Nechelput and his team have so far reverted to old construction plans – if available – or made decisions depending on expertise and experience. The inspection of the work carried out has so far only been carried out visually. An approach that does not make it easy for demanding architects to meet their own quality requirements. The team would like to have a highly sensitive thermal imaging camera in order to be able to carry out the energetic analysis quickly and easily and to visualize even fine details clearly. Since the instrument is not used on a daily basis, the thermal imaging camera should be easy to use, in order to avoid delays. It should also be possible to process the captured imagery in intuitive, high-performance software to produce the required reports immediately, without having to deal with compatibility issues or the need for additional modules.
The image quality’s great! I’d buy this thermal imaging camera for my energy consultant class right away!
Kevin Nechelput
·architect / Managing Director, AEON architecten
The new testo 883 thermal imaging camera fully complies with the AEON architects' catalogue of requirements. The testo 883 thermal imaging camera is equipped with an easy-to-handle pistol-grip design, is simple to operate, high resolution and comes with intuitive software, so that thermal images can be quickly and easily created, analysed and documented in an illustrative thermographic report.
Kevin Nechelput thinks it's promising and is looking forward to the live test. Together with his experienced project team, he is happy to use the testo 883 thermal imager for the current renovation project in order to put not only the building fabric through its paces, but also the numerous features of the thermal imager and the associated professional software testo IRSoft.