[0001] The current invention relates to a binding element for a building wall structure
comprising an inner wall, an outer wall spaced from said inner wall, and at least
one layer of insulation arranged between said inner and outer walls, said binding
element comprising an elongated portion with a first portion arranged to be embedded
in the inner wall during construction of the inner wall and a second portion arranged
to be embedded in the outer wall during construction of the outer wall. The current
invention also relates to a building wall structure comprising a binding element as
well as a method of constructing a building wall structure using a binding element.
Description of related art
[0002] It has long been practice to build walls comprising an inner wall and an outer wall.
In many countries, the inner and/or the outer wall are made of bricks. However, other
forms of walls can also be used. For example, a porous concrete inner wall could be
combined with a brick outer wall. Or a wooden inner wall could be combined with a
brick outer wall. Typically some form of insulation is arranged between the inner
and the outer wall. Two common forms of insulation are Stone Wool and Glass Wool.
Other forms of insulation are also available, but not as widely used at the current
time.
[0003] In order to provide extra strength to the wall, it is common to use binding elements
which join the inner and outer walls together at spaced apart locations. Such binders
are sometimes called wall ties. In the case where binding elements and insulation
are to be used in the same wall structure, the binding elements can be used to hold
the insulation in place as well.
[0004] Some examples of binding elements used together with insulation are provided in
DE29514318U1,
US2014202098AA,
WO09120069A1,
GB2404203B2 and
GB1503557A. Common for these types of binding elements is that they relate to building wall
structures comprising soft insulation types which are very thick and deformable, for
example glass wool or stone wool insulation. In these types of insulation, the insulation
is placed in abutment with the outwardly facing surface of the inner wall. This blocks
air ventilation of the space between the walls.
[0005] Other binding elements are known which space the insulation from the surfaces of
the inner and outer walls. However these forms of insulation are not as common. These
solutions typically use spacer elements placed in the walls. Said spacer elements
are in some cases formed as discs which are mounted on binding elements prior to installing
the insulation. See for example
NL7406695A.
[0006] One drawback of these later solutions is that the wall tie system is complicated
to install and requires a number of steps with a number of different components which
need to be assembled at the construction site during the construction process.
Summary of the invention
[0007] It is therefore a first aspect of the current invention to provide a binding element
for a building wall structure as mentioned in the introductory paragraph which is
easier to install such that construction of the wall structure requires less steps.
[0008] A second aspect of the current invention is to provide a binding element which allows
the use of a thin insulation material, in certain cases the thin insulation material
could be provided in plate or roll form.
[0009] A third aspect of the current invention is to provide a binding element which allows
the insulation material to be arranged at an offset from the outer surface of the
inner wall. Similarly, the binding element can also be arranged to ensure that the
insulation material is offset from the inner surface of the outer wall.
[0010] The above mentioned aspects are solved at least in part by a binding element according
to the characterizing portion of claim 1. In this way, a binding element is provided
which allows the construction of a building wall structure in a simple and efficient
manner.
[0011] According to the current specification, the stopper element should be understood
as an element which ensures that the layer of insulating material is placed at an
offset from the outer surface of the inner wall. In certain embodiments, the stopper
element is a physical element which prevents the layer of insulating material from
displacing past the stopper element. However, in another embodiment (not shown) the
stopper element could be arranged as a purely visual element. The visual element provides
visual feedback to the construction worker to allow him or her to stop pressing on
the insulating layer when it has reached the correct position. For example, the stopper
element could be arranged as a colour change, or as a marking, on the elongated portion
between the first and second portions. When the construction worker has pushed the
layer of insulation far enough onto the elongated portion of the binding element,
the visual stopper element will appear and the construction worker will know that
the material has been pushed far enough. For example, the second portion of the binding
element could be coloured red and the first portion of the binding element could be
coloured green. When the layer of insulation material is pressed onto the binding
element, only the red portion will be visible. Once the layer of insulation has been
pressed to the right position, the green colour will appear and the user will know
that the layer of insulation is at the correct position.
[0012] In one beneficial embodiment, the binding element could further comprise an offset
ensuring element, said offset ensuring element being arranged to align with the outer
surface of the inner wall and being arranged at a fixed offset from the stopper element
to ensure a uniform offset of the stopper element from the outer surface of the inner
wall. In one embodiment, the offset ensuring element could be arranged as an element
having a portion extending along a direction having a component which is perpendicular
to the longitudinal axis of the binding element and being arranged to abut the outer
surface of the inner wall. In another embodiment the offset ensuring element could
be arranged as a visual element giving the construction worker visual indication of
correct placement. This could for example be in the form of a colour change, or a
physical marking, for example a colour band.
[0013] In one embodiment, the binding element could further comprise at least one insulation
holding element which allows the layer of insulation to slide over the insulation
holding element when force is applied to the layer of insulation along the longitudinal
direction of the binding element, but which holds the layer of insulation in place
on the elongated portion during normal conditions inside the wall structure. In this
way, the user can push the layer of insulation into the correct position and then
the layer of insulation is held in place without displacing away from the desired
position.
[0014] In one embodiment, the insulation holding element could comprise at least one circular
plate element arranged on the elongated portion of the binding element between the
stopper element and the second portion of the binding element and arranged co-axially
with the longitudinal axis of the binding element. Forming the insulation holding
element as a circular element ensures that a good seal is formed between the insulation
holding element and the layer of insulation when the layer of insulation is in contact
with the circular plate element. In one embodiment, the insulation holding element
is provided as a linear array of circular plate elements arranged coaxially with each
other and with the longitudinal axis of the binding element. In one embodiment, the
spacing between adjacent circular plate elements is less than the thickness of the
layer of insulation material. In this way, when the layer of insulation is pressed
onto the circular plate elements, the layer of insulation can be in contact with at
least two circular plate elements at the same time.
[0015] In order to prevent fluid from passing through the layer of insulation, the binding
element could further comprise a drip provoking element arranged spaced a distance
from the stopper element, said distance being towards the outer wall and being at
least the width of the layer of insulation used. In certain cases, the drip provoking
element could be arranged as a protrusion sticking out of the bottom of the elongated
portion of the binding element.
[0016] In one thermally advantageous embodiment, the binding element could comprise a plastic
material or a material having a thermal conductivity which is less than stainless
steel or a material having a thermal conductivity which is less than 1 W/(mK). In
one embodiment, at least the first portion, at least the second portion and/or at
least the middle portion are made of plastic material or a material having a thermal
conductivity coefficient which is less than stainless steel or a material having a
thermal conductivity which is less than 1 W/(mK). In one embodiment, the first portion
is made of a metal material and the second portion is made of a material having a
thermal conductivity which is less than 1 W/(mK).
[0017] In one embodiment, the first portion is arranged as a planar element having a width
which is greater than the average width of the elongated portion and in that said
second portion is also arranged as a planar element having a width which is greater
than the average width of the elongated portion. In this way, the first and second
portions can be embedded in the materials of the inner and outer walls. In one embodiment,
the width of the first portion is greater than the width of the second portion.
[0018] In one embodiment, the stopper element could have a dimension along a vector component
which is perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the binding element which
is at least 2 times, at least 3 times or at least 4 times a dimension of the second
portion of the binding element along a vector component which is perpendicular to
the longitudinal extension of the binding element. In this way, the second portion
can pierce through the layer of insulation and then be stopped by the stopper element.
[0019] In another aspect of the invention, the invention relates to a building wall structure
according to claim 11. This wall structure is quick to assemble and provides a good
insulating effect.
[0020] In one embodiment, the layer of insulation can be prevented from being displaced
outwardly by one or more insulation holding elements integrated into the binding elements.
[0021] In one embodiment, an integrated drip provoking element could be arranged on the
lower surface of the binding elements and could be located just outside the outer
surface of the layer of insulation. In this way, condense fluid and/or other fluid
which is collected on the second portion of the binding element, will not run through
the layer of insulation along the body of the binding element.
[0022] In one advantageous embodiment of the current invention, the layer of insulation
could be a layer of reflective insulation having a thickness less than 100mm, less
then 75mm, less than 50mm, less than 35mm or less than 20mm. Using a reflective type
insulation can in certain cases reduce the need for having a very thick insulation
material and therefore result in a reduction of the total width of the wall structure.
[0023] In a third aspect of the current invention, a method of constructing a building wall
structure is provided according to claim 15. According to this method, a wall structure
can be assembled in an easy and effective manner.
[0024] It should be emphasized that the term "comprises/comprising/comprised of" when used
in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers,
steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more
other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof. For example, in claim
1, it is stated that the binding element comprises a stopper element. However this
should be interpreted as "at least one stopper element".
Brief description of the drawings
[0025] In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail with reference
to embodiments shown by the enclosed figures. It should be emphasized that the embodiments
shown are used for example purposes only and should not be used to limit the scope
of the invention.
Figure 1 shows a schematic top view of a first embodiment of binding element according
to the current invention.
Figure 2 shows a schematic side view of the binding element of figure 1.
Figure 3 shows a schematic cross section of a wall construction comprising a binding
element according to the current invention.
Figure 4 shows a schematic cross section view of an inner wall prior to mounting an
insulation layer.
Figure 5 shows a schematic cross section view of an inner wall during the mounting
of an insulation layer.
Figure 6 shows a schematic top view of a second embodiment of a binding element according
to the current invention.
Figure 7 shows a schematic top view of a third embodiment of a binding element according
to the current invention.
Figure 8 shows a schematic top view of a fourth embodiment of a binding element according
to the current invention.
Figure 9 shows a schematic top view of a fifth embodiment of a binding element according
to the current invention.
Detailed description of the embodiments
[0026] Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a binding element 1, or wall tie, according
to the current invention. The wall tie 1 of the current embodiment is made as an elongated
element having a first portion 2 arranged at a first end 3 and a second portion 4
arranged at a second end 5. The first portion 2 has an L formed shape. The second
portion 4 has a wavy, or S formed shape. This is a traditional shape of a binding
element as known from, for example,
DE29514318 (U1). Traditionally such wall ties are formed from a piece of steel rod which is
bent into shape, hence the L shaped form at one end and the wavy form at the other
end.
[0027] However, in general, the forms of the first and second portions of this type of wall
tie have a shape which can be embedded in wet cement/mortar placed between bricks
during the brick laying process. Once the cement has hardened, the first and second
portions of the binding element will be firmly embedded in the cement without being
able to be withdrawn. In typical cases, the first portion will be embedded in an inner
wall and the second portion will be embedded in an outer wall. The wall tie will therefore
hold the inner and outer walls together.
[0028] Between the first and second portions 2,4, the wall tie has a large circular disc
10 arranged co-axially with the longitudinal axis of the wall tie. In the current
embodiment, the large circular disc has a radial direction which is perpendicular
to the longitudinal axis of the wall tie. Between the large circular disc 10 and the
second portion 4, the wall tie also comprises a linear array of spaced smaller circular
discs 12. In the current embodiment the large circular disc 10 is at least 2 times
larger in diameter than the spaced smaller circular discs 12. The function of the
circular discs 10,12 is described in greater detail later on in this specification.
[0029] In the current embodiment, the wall tie 1 is made of a plastic material which has
been injection moulded. This has a number of advantages. By making the wall tie from
a plastic material, the thermal conduction through the wall tie is reduced and less
heat is transferred between the inner and outer walls when compared to a wall tie
made of steel or stainless steel. Another advantage is that the wall tie 1 made via
an injection moulding operation can be formed into many different shapes and forms
when compared to an embodiment made from a steel rod which can for the most part only
be bent. For example in the current case, the shape of the first portion is L shaped
and the second portion is wavy shaped. However, the shapes could be much different
when injection moulding the wall tie from plastic. For example, the first portion
could be formed as an open oval shape or an open triangle shape or any other desired
shape.
[0030] While the material of the current embodiment is plastic, the material of the binding
element/wall tie of the current invention could be chosen from any suitable material,
a plastic injection moulded material being just one choice out of many. In the case
where a plastic material is used, different additives could be added to the plastic
material, for example reinforcing fibers of different kinds. The person skilled in
the art will be able to provide different suitable materials, some non-limiting examples
being metal, plastic and glass fiber. Likewise, the current embodiment is made in
an injection moulding operation, however other forms of manufacturing could also be
suitable.
[0031] The steps for installing the wall tie are now described in more detail with reference
to figures 3 to 5. Figure 3 shows a schematic view of a complete wall structure 20
while figures 4 and 5 show two steps in the construction of the wall structure 20.
[0032] The inner wall 21 of the embodiment shown in figures 3 to 5 is constructed first
by laying bricks 22 as is known the art. At regular intervals along the rows and at
regular intervals along the vertical direction of the wall, the first portion 2 of
wall ties 1 according to the current invention are arranged in the mortar 23 between
two layers of bricks such that the second portion extends from the inner wall. This
is shown in figure 4. The wall tie in figure 3 is shown rotated 90 degrees about the
longitudinal axis of the wall tie in figure 1. A layer of insulating material 25 is
then taken and pressed against the second end 5 of the second portion 4 of the wall
tie 1.
[0033] The second end 5 of the second portion 4 of the wall tie 1 is formed such that the
second end can pierce through the insulating material 25. A hole is therefore formed
in the insulating material and the insulating material can then be pressed onto the
wall tie and pressed in towards the inner wall. This is shown in figure 5. As the
insulating material is pressed further onto the wall tie, it will come into contact
with the array of smaller circular discs 12. The smaller circular discs are formed
such that they allow passage of the insulating material in one direction when force
is applied, but then "hold" the layer of insulation in place once it has been pressed
over the discs. When the insulating material has been pressed far enough over the
discs, the insulating material will come into contact with the larger circular disc
10 which prevents further motion along the wall tie. The combination of the larger
circular disc 10 and the array of spaced apart smaller circular discs will ensure
that the insulation material stays in place during normal conditions in the wall structure.
[0034] The location of the larger circular disc will ensure that the insulating material
is arranged at a predetermined offset from the inner wall 21. Likewise, the larger
circular disc will provide a sealing effect between the insulating material and the
wall tie to prevent air from freely passing through the insulating material. Likewise,
the smaller circular discs 12 will prevent the insulating material from displacing
away from the larger circular disc.
[0035] In the current embodiment, the small circular disc are arranged co-axially with the
wall tie and have a slight cone shape with the wide end of the cone facing the circular
disc. In this way, the insulating material will be able to slide more easily over
the cone in one direction, but be held in place in the reverse direction. In addition,
by using circular elements, the insulating material should be sealed better to the
wall tie since the circular elements will form a circular hole in the insulating material
and be in contact with the edges of the hole the entire circumference of the hole.
[0036] In other embodiments, instead of circular elements, multiple prongs or "barbs" can
be arranged on the wall tie to hold the insulation material in place. In general,
according to the understanding of the currents specification, the smaller circular
discs or for example prongs/barbs form a holding element which holds the insulation
material in place on the wall tie.
[0037] In the current embodiment, the circular discs are formed such that when the insulating
material is pressed against the larger circular disc, the outermost disc of the smaller
circular discs will be free from the insulating material on the outer side of the
insulation material. The outermost disc 13 has a portion which is arranged below the
elongated portion of the wall tie. In this way, when liquid, for example condense
fluid, runs along the wall tie from the outside wall towards the inside wall, it will
reach the outermost disc and form a drop, and drip off the wall tie, prior to reaching
the insulating material. In this way, liquid is prevented from running along the wall
tie and through the insulating material.
[0038] Figure 3 shows a final constructed wall structure 20 where the second portion 4 of
the wall tie 1 has been embedded in the mortar 23 between two layers of bricks 22
in the outer wall 26.
[0039] In summary, the larger circular disc can be thought of as a form of stopper element
which prevents the insulating material from displacing further along the wall tie
during installation. The stopper element is arranged to ensure that there is a correct
offset between the inner surface of the insulation material and the outer surface
of the inner wall. In addition, the stopper element also ensures that a correct offset
is provided between the inner surface of the outer wall and the outer surface of the
insulation layer. Such offsets are important to ensure that proper ventilation can
occur between the insulation material and the inner and outer walls.
[0040] In order to ensure that the stopper element is placed at the correct offset from
the inner wall during installation of the wall ties in the inner wall, one could rely
on the skill of the worker laying the bricks. The worker could place the wall ties
according to his or her best judgement. This would result in small deviations in the
offset from the inner wall, but in most cases this could be tolerated.
[0041] In one embodiment of a wall tie 30, as shown in figure 6, an offset indicating element
31 could be placed on the first portion of the wall tie. This offset indicating element
could be in the form of a physical element which is arranged to be placed against
the outer surface of the inner wall during placement of the wall tie. For example,
a plate shaped element 31 could be arranged offset from the circular disc 10 towards
the first portion 2 of the wall tie 1. During installation, the first portion 2 of
the wall tie could be embedded in the mortar between two bricks and the plate shaped
element 31 be placed such that it is in contact with the outer surface of the inner
wall. In this way, the first circular element, i.e. the stopper element will be arranged
at a precise distance from the outer surface of the inner wall. This will ensure that
the worker constructing the brick wall can relax during construction without having
to manually keep track of the offset of the stopper element.
[0042] In another embodiment of a wall tie 40, see figure 7, the first portion 41 of the
wall tie could be formed of a different material than the rest of the wall tie. For
example, the first portion 41 of the wall tie could be made of a stainless steel material
and the rest of the wall tie could be made from a plastic material. In one case, the
two materials could be coupled together via a twist lock mechanism 42 or other form
of locking mechanism. In other cases (not shown) the two materials could be joined
together as an integrated element, for example where the metal portion is inserted
into the injection mould prior to moulding and the plastic material is injected to
surround the metal portion in a locked manner. The use of a metal material, or other
form of strong material, allows the first portion to be pressed into the material
of the inner wall if the inner wall is made from a suitable material. For example,
this could be done via a hammer which hammers the leg portion 43 of the first portion
into the inner wall. This could be relevant for example in the case where the inner
wall is made of wooden beams or from porous cement elements.
[0043] One additional advantage of making the wall tie from two different materials is that
the transition from one material to the other will be visible during construction
of the inner wall and could be used as the offset indicating element to ensure correct
offset of the stopper element 10 from the inner wall. In a similar manner, even if
the wall tie is made of a uniform material, the offset indicating element could be
arranged as a change in color, or as a specific marking on the wall tie, for example
as a coloured band on the wall tie (not shown).
[0044] In the embodiment of a wall tie 50 shown in figure 8, instead of an L formed first
portion, the first portion is formed as a threaded portion 51. The threaded portion
is connected to the rest of the wall tie via a twist lock connection 52 in the current
embodiment. This allows the screw portion to be screwed (or nailed) into the outer
surface of the inner wall first, and then the rest 53 of the wall tie can be connected
to the screw portion which has been inserted into the wall.
[0045] In the embodiment of a wall tie 60 shown in figure 9, the wall tie is essentially
the same as the wall tie of figure 7, however, instead of a wavy second portion 4,
the second portion is injection moulded as a series of plate like triangular shapes
61. This is just to illustrate that the first and second portions can be formed in
any suitable shape which can be embedded in the inner and outer walls respectively.
In addition, the second portion needs to be formed such that the insulation material
can be pressed over the end of the second portion without causing too much damage
to the insulation material. The person skilled in the art will be able to provide
additional suitable shapes.
[0046] In the above described embodiments, the stopper element has been arranged as a circular
plate formed element. However, in other embodiments, the stopper element could be
formed in many different suitable ways. For example, the stopper element could be
arranged as a cone shaped element which increases in diameter from the second end
of the wall tie towards the first end. In this way, the insulating material will be
pressed up against the pointy side of the cone and then seal tightly against the insulating
material. In another embodiment, the stopper element could be arranged as a rod extending
perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the wall tie itself. This embodiment
will not have the same sealing abilities as a circular element or a cone shaped element,
owever the sealing effect could be provided by the holding element as described above
for example.
[0047] In another embodiment, instead of a holding element comprising physical elements
which mechanically engage with the insulation material, an adhesive material could
be provided on the wall tie on the outer side of the stopper element. The insulating
material could then be pressed up against the stopper element causing the adhesive
material to glue the insulating material to the wall tie. Using enough adhesive material
could also cause the hole in the insulating material to be filled up with adhesive
material, thereby also sealing the hole effectively.
[0048] In general, the novel and inventive wall tie of the current invention combines the
functions of a traditional wall tie (i.e. providing a connection between the inner
and outer walls) with a holding function and an offset ensuring function for insulation
material placed in the cavity between the inner and outer walls. In addition, in at
least some embodiments of the invention, the wall tie also provides a sealing function
to seal the holes formed in the insulation material during assembly.
[0049] In the current embodiments, a form of insulating material is used which is provided
in strip or plate form. When provided in strip form, the strips could flexible and
could be provided on a roll of many meters. In one embodiment, the insulating material
is of the reflecting type. For example the insulating material could be made of aluminum
sheets which reflect heat waves rather than absorbing them. This type of insulation
can be made much thinner than insulating materials based on mineral wool. In other
examples, the
[0050] It is to be noted that the figures and the above description have shown the example
embodiments in a simple and schematic manner. Many of the more specific details have
not been shown since the person skilled in the art should be familiar with these details
and they would just unnecessarily complicate this description. For example, the specific
materials used and the specific injection moulding procedures or other suitable manufacturing
techniques have not been described in detail since it is maintained that the person
skilled in the art would be able to find suitable materials and suitable processes
to manufacture the wall binder according to the current invention. Likewise, detailed
description of all the method steps used when constructing a brick wall have not been
provided, since it is expected that the person skilled in the art of building a brick
wall will know the relevant steps.
1. A binding element (1) for a building wall structure (20) comprising an inner wall
(21), an outer wall (26) spaced from said inner wall, and at least one layer of insulation
(25) arranged between said inner and outer walls, said binding element (1) comprising
an elongated portion comprising a first portion (2) arranged to be embedded in the
inner wall during construction of the inner wall and a second portion (4) arranged
to be embedded in the outer wall during construction of the outer wall characterized in that, said second portion is arranged such that when a layer of insulation (25) is pressed
onto the second portion (4), a free end (5) of the second portion pierces through
the layer of insulation allowing the layer of insulation to displace along the elongated
portion and in that said binding element (1) furthermore comprises an integrated stopper element (10)
arranged between said first and second portion (2,4) and being arranged such that
the layer of insulation (25) can be displaced along the elongated portion until it
reaches the stopper element which prevents further displacement of the layer of insulation
along the elongated portion.
2. A binding element (30) according to claim 1, characterized in that said binding element further comprises an offset ensuring element (31), said offset
ensuring element being arranged to align with the outer surface of the inner wall
(21) and being arranged at a fixed offset from the stopper element to ensure a uniform
offset of the stopper element from the outer surface of the inner wall.
3. A binding element (30) according to claim 2, characterized in that said offset ensuring element (31) is arranged as an element having a portion (31)
extending along a direction having a component which is perpendicular to the longitudinal
axis of the binding element and being arranged to abut the outer surface of the inner
wall (21).
4. A binding element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said binding element further comprises at least one insulation holding element (12)
which allows the layer of insulation (25) to slide over the insulation holding element
when force is applied to the layer of insulation along the longitudinal direction
of the binding element, but which holds the layer of insulation in place on the elongated
portion during normal conditions inside the wall structure (20).
5. A binding element (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that said insulation holding element (12) comprises a circular plate element (12,13) arranged
on the elongated portion of the binding element between the stopper element (10) and
the second portion (4) of the binding element and arranged co-axially with the longitudinal
axis of the binding element.
6. A binding element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said binding element further comprises a drip provoking element (13) arranged spaced
a distance from the stopper element (10), said distance being towards the outer wall
(26) and being at least the width of the layer of insulation (25) used.
7. A binding element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said binding element comprises a plastic material or a material having a thermal
conductivity coefficient which is less than stainless steel or a material having a
thermal conductivity which is less than 1 W/(mK).
8. A binding element (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that at least the first portion (2), at least the second portion (4) and/or at least the
middle portion are made of plastic material or a material having a thermal conductivity
coefficient which is less than stainless steel or a material having a thermal conductivity
which is less than 1 W/(mK).
9. A binding element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said first portion (2) is arranged as a planar element having a width which is greater
than the average width of the elongated portion and in that said second portion (4) is also arranged as a planar element having a width which
is greater than the average width of the elongated portion.
10. A binding element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said stopper element (10) has a dimension along a vector component which is perpendicular
to the longitudinal extension of the binding element which is at least 3 times a dimension
of the second portion (2) of the binding element along a vector component which is
perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the binding element.
11. A building wall structure (20) comprising an inner wall (21), an outer wall (26) spaced
from said inner wall, at least one layer of insulation (25) arranged between the inner
and outer walls and a number of binding elements (1), each of said binding elements
comprising an elongated portion having a first portion (2) embedded in the inner wall
(21) and a second portion (4) embedded in the outer wall (26) and a middle portion
between said first and second portions passing through the layer of insulation (25),
characterized in that the inner surface of the layer of insulation (25) is pressed against an outwardly
facing surface of stopper elements (10) which are integrated portions of the binding
elements and which are arranged at an offset from the outer surface of the inner wall
(21) such that a ventilation gap is provided between the outer surface of the inner
wall and the inner surface of the layer of insulation.
12. A building wall structure (20) according to claim 11, characterized in that the layer of insulation (25) is prevented from being displaced outwardly by insulation
holding elements (12) integrated into the binding elements.
13. A building wall structure (20) according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that an integrated drip provoking element (13) is arranged on the lower surface of the
binding elements and is located just outside the outer surface of the layer of insulation
(25).
14. A building wall structure (20) according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the layer of insulation (25) is a layer of reflective insulation having a thickness
less than 100mm, less then 75mm, less than 50mm, less than 35mm or less than 20mm.
15. A method of constructing a building wall structure (20) according to any one of claims
11 to 14, said method comprising the steps of:
- constructing an inner wall (21) and placing elongated binding elements (1) at spaced
locations in the inner wall by embedding a first portion (2) of the binding elements
in the inner wall and allowing a second portion (4) of the binding element to extend
outwardly from the outer surface of the inner wall (21)
- pressing a layer of insulation (25) onto ends (5) of the second portions (4) of
the binding elements (1) such that the ends of the second portion of the binding elements
pierce through the layer of insulation (25),
- displacing the layer of insulation (25) along an elongated portion of the binding
elements by applying force to the layer of insulation in a direction having a vector
component which is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the binding element until
an inner surface of the layer of insulation comes into contact with stopper elements
(10) on the elongated portions of the binding elements, said stopper elements being
arranged at an offset from the outer surface of the inner wall and being arranged
as an integrated portion of the binding element, and
- constructing an outer wall (26) and embedding the second portions (4) of the elongated
binding elements in the outer wall.