The GBE System® combines technical performance, architectural flexibility and conventional cast-in-place concrete construction. It allows designers and contractors to create highly engineered insulated concrete walls while retaining the material qualities, surface finishes and construction know-how associated with reinforced concrete.
Architectural freedom
Cast-in-place construction allows curved walls, varied geometries, textured surfaces and a wide range of architectural concrete finishes.
Technical performance
The wall combines reinforced concrete, continuous insulation and project-specific reinforcement within a single construction principle.
Construction know-how
The system relies on the established skills of formwork and reinforced-concrete contractors rather than on a prefabricated façade installation process.
Highly technical walls with architectural freedom
Because the GBE System® is cast directly on site, it can accommodate a wide range of wall geometries, including curved walls and complex façade shapes, subject to the structural and construction requirements of each project.
Concrete also provides considerable freedom in terms of appearance. Smooth or textured finishes, formwork matrices, relief patterns, coloured concrete and exposed architectural concrete can all be considered depending on the desired design.
The use of self-compacting concrete can facilitate the production of complex geometries and high-quality exposed surfaces by improving the filling of heavily reinforced or geometrically constrained areas.
As a result, the external concrete leaf is not limited to a purely protective function: it can form an integral part of the architectural expression of the building.
Acoustic performance
The high mass of the concrete leaves can provide strong airborne sound insulation performance. The final acoustic behaviour of the wall depends on its complete configuration, including concrete thicknesses, insulation type, junctions and openings.
This makes the GBE System® suitable for projects where the building envelope must combine thermal and acoustic performance, particularly in dense urban environments or locations exposed to significant external noise.
Acoustic performance must be assessed for the complete wall configuration and in accordance with the regulations and calculation or testing methods applicable to the project.
A system based on construction-company expertise
The GBE System® is not a prefabricated sandwich-panel solution. The walls are constructed directly on site using conventional reinforced-concrete techniques, with the insulation incorporated during the structural construction phase.
This approach allows the structural contractor to retain control of the principal stages of wall construction: formwork, reinforcement, positioning of the insulation and GBE components, concrete placement and stripping of the formwork.
It also limits the multiplication of interfaces between separate prefabrication, façade and structural packages. The wall remains closely integrated into the normal structural works sequence and makes direct use of the skills of formwork carpenters and reinforced-concrete site teams.
Continuous cast-in-place construction
Since the walls are cast in place rather than assembled from prefabricated façade panels, the system enables large continuous concrete surfaces without the repeated panel joints associated with prefabrication, apart from the construction, movement or expansion joints required by the project and the applicable standards.
This construction principle can simplify façade continuity while preserving architectural flexibility and the usual organisation of reinforced-concrete structural works.
