APPENDIX C

BUBBLEDECK SYSTEM

1. General Information
To accompany each entry and to be completed by the National Organiser
Name of the Company:

BubbleDeck Netherlands B.V.

Entry name/Project Title:

BubbleDeck floor system - An innovative sustainable floor system

Name of Contact Person (in organisation entering for award):

Ing. A.C. Fuchs

Deputy Director
Address:

Admiraal Banckertweg 22
P.O. Box 150
2300 AD Leiden
The Netherlands
Telephone:

Facsimile:

0031 71 521 03 56

0031 71 362 49 51

Brief Description of the companys business:

BubbleDeck Netherlands B.V. is a SME incorporated in 1997 by Mr. R. Plug, General director.
The company developed an innovative sustainable floor system, the BubbleDeck floor system,
on base of the invention of Civ.eng. J. Breuning, Denmark.
BubbleDeck Netherlands B.V. is the supplier of the BubbleDeck floor system and takes care,
out of its office in Leiden, of the marketing, the technical advice and the design, the production
and execution guidance and, finally, the delivery. The actual production of the prefabricated
components is carried out by specialist concrete element factories at the order of and with
guidance from BubbleDeck Netherlands B.V. which also takes care of the guidance of the
assembly of these components at the construction site.
For the application of the floor system in Belgium and Luxembourg BubbleDeck Belgium
B.V.B.A. was incorporated. This company, an initiative of BubbleDeck Netherlands B.V., is now
operational out of Brussels.

Brief description of entry/project:

BubbleDeck is a new innovative and sustainable floor system to be used as a self-supporting
concrete floor. The application of the BubbleDeck floor system in the Netherlands is
manifested as the world-wide first application.
The BubbleDeck floor system can be used for storey floors, roof floors and ground floor floors.
A BubbleDeck floor is a flat slab floor, therefore without beams and column heads.
The principal characteristic is that hollow plastic spheres are incorporated in the floor,
clamped in a factory-made reinforcement structure. This reinforcement structure constitutes at
the same time the upper and lower reinforcement of the concrete floor.
The reinforcement structure with spherical shapes and possibly a thin concrete shell as
precast slab floor are supplied to the construction site in factory-made units with a maximum
width of 3 metres, they are installed on site and are assembled by installing connecting rods
and by pouring concrete. After the concrete has set, the floor is ready to be used.
The ratio of the diameter of the plastic spheres to the thickness of the floor is such that a 35 %
saving is achieved on the material or concrete consumption for the floor in comparison with a
solid concrete floor of the same thickness. The saving on weight obtained in this way has the
result that a BubbleDeck floor can provide the required load-bearing capacity at a smaller
thickness. This leads to a further advantage, resulting in a saving of 40 to 50 % of the material
consumption in the floor construction.
This is not the last of the advantages of the BubbleDeck floor system: because of the lower
weight of the floor system itself, also the supporting constructions such as columns and
foundations can be less heavy. This can result eventually in a total weight or material saving
on the building construction of up to 50 %.
Award entered for (please tick):
Management Award for Sustainable Development
Product Award for Sustainable Development

XX

Technology Award for Sustainable Development

International Partnership Award for Sustainable Development

Summary Assessment of Entry by National Organiser

3
To be completed by the National Organiser only
National Organiser contact point with knowledge of this entry (Name, Organisation):

Date:

1. Has the entry been visited by the National Organisers (or their representatives)? By Whom?
When?
NO

2. In your judgement, what are the greatest merits of this entry? Why should this entry win a
European Award?
The BubbleDeck floor system is a complete new invention within the construction industry which,
compared with traditional alternatives, makes a substantial and measurable contribution to the
reduction of the environmental impact. The integrated advantages result in tangible decrease of
building costs and lead to environmental, social and economic benefits up to a level of 50 %
compared with traditional alternatives, without extra investments.
Summarising, it can be said that the BubbleDeck floor system has a very high potential to win a
European Award.

A typical building structure with the BubbleDeck floor system

3. What are the innovative aspects of this entry?

The innovative aspect in comparison with similar floor systems consists of:
the use of hollow plastic spheres in the concrete floor, where the concrete can usually be missed
(from a constructive point of view), clamped in a factory-made reinforcement structure, that results
in a saving of up to 50 % on material, in other words: a 50 % greater material efficiency is
achieved
the BubbleDeck floor spans at all sides and due to its lower weight at can give at a smaller
thickness the same performance as similar traditional floor systems, such as a solid concrete floor,
a so-called precast filigran slab floor or a hollow core slab floor
the BubbleDeck floor is a flat slab floor, therefore without the beams and column heads which
similar floor systems need
the BubbleDeck floor is manufactured in an industrial way and is supplied to the construction site in
large modules which, compared with similar floor systems, can be assembled into a whole using
far less energy
the BubbleDeck floor can be realised as a monolithic floor, ready for immediate use, while similar
floor systems need a extra floor layer of 60 to 80 mm to be applied on the construction floor
still, the BubbleDeck floor is not a rigid construction system and, compared with similar floor
systems, offers flexibility for various applications, so that the architect, the structural engineer and
the building contractor can use this floor system without any problem
the BubbleDeck floor results in a substantial reduction of the building time, so that the building
activities cause less environmental hindrance for the surrounding area.

Cross section BubbleDeck floor system

4. What are the environmental and resource-saving benefits of this entry?
The BubbleDeck floor system has the following environmental and resource-saving benefits:
a saving on the concrete consumption for the floor, and therefore on the primary raw materials
sand and gravel and on the raw material cement up to 50 %, with the additional environmental
advantage that smaller amounts of concrete have to be transported by road and smaller amounts
of cement, sand and gravel have to be transported by road and by water
a major contribution to the objective of sustainable building by the saving on the use of primary
raw materials, the flexibility offered in the lay-out of the building and the making of passages and
recesses and, finally: in the event of demolition a substantially smaller amount of concrete
granulate and recyclable plastic spheres which do not adhere to the concrete
a substantial saving on underlying constructions, such as columns and foundations, so that the
total saving on materials, and therefore on weight, of the concrete building construction can be as
high as 50 % and the foundation can be accordingly lighter
an up to 40 to 50 % saving on energy and emissions concerning the production and transport of
primary and secondary building materials for the construction of floors in buildings

5
a reduction of the construction time by the large dimensions of the BubbleDeck elements with a
maximum width of 3 metres and a length, currently limited only by the transport, of up to 12
metres, resulting in less and more efficient transport by road
a better use of the hoisting capacity during the execution due to the large and light BubbleDeck
elements, resulting in the environmental advantage of less noise hindrance
simple installation of lines and pipes, either under or incorporated in the floor, resulting in a saving
on usually environmentally hazardous plastics and metals, such as PVC pipes, copper, lead, iron
and cast iron
the possibility of realising a monolithic concrete floor ready for use, therefore without extra
floorlayer and pressure layer to bear stability forces in the plane of the floor, resulting in another
25 to 35 % saving on the raw materials sand and cement in relation to comparable alternatives.

BubbleDeck elements after production

5. What are the economic benefits of this entry (eg cost competitiveness with alternatives,
employment impacts)?
The economic benefits of the BubbleDeck floor systems are as follows:
40 tot 50 % increase of the cost-effectiveness of constructions in the building industry because of:
40 to 50 % less weight than a traditional concrete floor or precast filigran slab floor
a saving on reinforcement steel
a substantial saving on labour for the adjustment of reinforcement bars on site and the
labour and time required for concrete casting, also resulting in less hindrance for the
surrounding area
the load-bearing capacity in two directions, supported directly by columns or load-bearing
walls
the use of floors without beams and column heads

the market volume of construction floors in the Netherlands is circa 29 million m on an annual
basis, of which about 12.5 million m consists of solid floors, including precast filigran slab floors.
From a constructive point of view, the BubbleDeck floor system can completely replace the entire
volume of this application. Further on BubbleDeck floors can also replace a substantial
percentage of the hollow core slab floors which, in the Netherlands, are used in a volume of
approximately 9.3 million m on an annual basis.

the above mentioned figures can be extrapolated in a equal way to a European and even
worldwide scale. The absolute effect of the application of the BubbleDeck floor system on this
scale leads to tremendous positive effects in the framework of sustainable development.
the impact on employment is that the application of the BubbleDeck floor system makes it more
attractive for employers to work in the building industry, because the system decreases the
workload.

6. What are the social benefits of this entry (eg working conditions, consumer safety, community
relations)?
The social benefits of the BubbleDeck floor system are as follows:
a substantial improvement of the working conditions at the building site as a result of the
application of big and light prefabricated floorelements and of less and lighter reinforcement bars
and of casting up to 50 % less concrete
consumer safety is increased because the floor system has a high bearing and impact capacity in
comparison with traditional alternatives.

Placing BubbleDeck elements on the site

7. Are you satisfied that the entry is in compliance with the appropriate environmental, health &
safety legislation?
As far as known the BubbleDeck floor systems meets the requirements of the appropriate
environmental, health and safety legislation.
The rather new BubbleDeck floor system is not covered yet by the European Eco-label or the Dutch
Milieukeur. Because of the short time that the system has been on the market, no activities have been
deployed in this direction yet. BubbleDeck Netherlands B.V. is prepared to verify whether the floor
system can be brought under such a label or environmental mark.

8. In the case of SMEs, what overall evidence is there that the entry will be commercially viable (eg
market performance, technical viability)?
The BubbleDeck organisation is specially incorporated to introduce and to promote the application of
the BubbleDeck floor system. This is key-business of the organisation itself. The senior management
of BubbleDeck has therefore a clear commitment to the development and marketing of the product
and the service.
The floor system enjoys, since its recent introduction, a fast growing interest for application as a selfsupporting floor in buildings. The first major application is the Weenatower - the so-called Millennium
Tower - in Rotterdam, with 34 stores (25,000 m) and an overall heigth of more than 140 m. This tower
is finished in June 2000. In the Netherlands now more than 40 projects are under execution,
representing circa 150,000 m of construction floors.
In Belgium the first projects with the BubbleDeck floor system are expected to start in the second half
of 2000 with a volume of approximately 50,000 m.
In all these cases the BubbleDeck floor system has proved itself as financial concurrential in
comparison with traditional alternatives.

The BubbleDeck floor system has a very great economic potential. The above-mentioned technical
and economic advantages make that this floor system is very much in demand with project
developers, architects, structural engineers and building contractors. The replacement potential of the
market segment for solid concrete floors and precast filigran slab floors with the BubbleDeck floor
system is in the order of magnitude of 12.5 million m, this means a turnover of approximately
NLG 1,250 million per year in the Netherlands.
The profit margin is at a level of 5 to 6% of this turnover.
The key-strategy of the BubbleDeck organization concentrates on reaching the final goal that every
investor, architect, structural engineer and constractor considers the BubbleDeck floor system as the
ultimate floor solution leading to measurable environmental, social and economic benefits within the
framework of sustainable development.
Sharing knowledge and expertise with building partners, students and other organisations is a mayor
instrument to reach this goal.

Weena Tower Rotterdam

9. What prospects are there for wider application in Europe?

The BubbleDeck floor system is world-wide applicable and has therefore a high replication potential.
At this moment preparations are going on to incorporate a European BubbleDeck organization with
national representatives in each country. Further on marketing developing contacts are going on in
Asia, Africa and North- and South-America.
The good environmental performance of the BubbleDeck floor system is an integral advantage which
is used in the marketing for the product.

10. On completion of your assessment please sign below:

Signature (National Organiser):

Date:

CATEGORY 2: PRODUCT AWARD FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

1. Please provide the following:

(a) A summary of the circumstances leading to the development of the new product or related service;
The market of construction floors in the building industry consists mainly of massive concrete floors,
prefabricated filigran slab floors and hollow core slab floors. This situtation has not changed for more
than 20 years. In the Netherlands the market share of these floors is about 29 million m a year. All
these types of floors have their advantages but also their disadvantages.
Since three years a new innovative floor system combines all advantages of the other floor systems,
solving all problems caused by their disadvantages in the same time.
Besides that the new floor system enhances the structural possiblities in combination with an
improved cost-effectiveness. Further on the floor system gives a tremendous contribution to
sustainable development.
Because of this reasons the new floor systeem, the BubbleDeck floor system, can be qualified as an
innovative sustainable floor system.

Deliverance of the BubbleDeck elements on the site

(b) Details of the specific innovative elements that distinguish this product or service from its
predecessors or others already on the market; and

The innovative aspect in comparison with similar floor systems consists of:
the use of hollow plastic spheres in the concrete floor, where the concrete can usually be missed
(from a constructive point of view), clamped in a factory-made reinforcement structure, that results
in a saving of up to 50 % on material, in other words: a 50 % greater material efficiency is
achieved
the BubbleDeck floor spans at all sides and due to its lower weight at can give at a smaller
thickness the same performance as similar traditional floor systems, such as a solid concrete floor,
a so-called precast filigran slab floor or a hollow core slab floor
the BubbleDeck floor is a flat slab floor, therefore without the beams and column heads which
similar floor systems need

10
the BubbleDeck floor is manufactured in an industrial way and is supplied to the construction site in
large modules which, compared with similar floor systems, can be assembled into a whole using
far less energy
the BubbleDeck floor can be realised as a monolithic floor, ready for immediate use, while similar
floor systems need a extra floor layer of 60 to 80 mm to be applied on the construction floor
still, the BubbleDeck floor is not a rigid construction system and, compared with similar floor
systems, offers flexibility for various applications, so that the architect, the structural engineer and
the building contractor can use this floor system without any problem
the BubbleDeck floor results in a substantial reduction of the building time, so that the building
activities cause less environmental hindrance for the surrounding area.

Placing BubbleDeck elements

c) Evidence that the product or service performs functionally at least as well as a comparable
alternative, and meets relevant safety standards.
The BubbleDeck floor system is for its structural behaviour comparable with a solid concrete floor with
a bearing capacity in all directions. Such floors are made since the beginning of the application of the
material concrete in the beginning of the last age. Based on a lot of experience and research such
floors are designed according the common Technical Standards. The BubbleDeck floor can thus be
designed according these standards.
However the BubbleDeck floor has hollow plastic spheres that gives the floor 35 % less weight. Some
aspects of the structural behaviour are influenced by this phenomene. These aspects are shearforceand punchcapacity.
In order of BubbleDeck Netherlands B.V. these aspects are investigated by the Centre for Civil
Engineering Research and Codes (CUR) in the Netherlands. This international famous institute
executed applied research together with the Technical University of Eindhoven.
The results of this research are available since the end of 1999 and are translated in designvalues,
which will be published in a special standard (CUR-Recommendation) for the design of BubbleDeck
floors in the second half of 2000.
This ensures that BubbleDeck floors designed according to this standard perform functionally at least
as well as a comparable alternative, and meet relevant safety standards.

11

2. Please provide clear, detailed and quantified evidence of the environmental benefits of the product

or service, over and above a comparable alternative, measured over the complete life-cycle. These
should be stated in terms of:
energy and material inputs

The energy consumption during the production, during the use and also during the recycling of the raw
materials is comparable by nature to the energy consumption of similar floor systems. The greatest
part of the energy consumption concerns the production of the raw materials cement, sand, gravel,
reinforcement steel and the production of concrete mortar and of the prefabricated BubbleDeck
elements. These productions take place in existing cement factories and concrete products factories
which play a pioneer's role in the reduction of the energy consumption.
From the viewpoint of energy saving, however, the most important aspect is that the substantial
savings of up to 50 % if the BubbleDeck floor system is used instead of comparable floor systems,
result in a quantitative sense in an almost proportional saving on energy consumption.
The conclusion is therefore justified that the BubbleDeck floor system yields an energy saving in the
order of magnitude of 40 to 50 % in comparison with similar floor systems.
The following raw materials are required for realising a BubbleDeck floor:
Sand, gravel, cement, water, reinforcement steel, plastic
In order to allow a comparison, the required quantities are given in the following table for a solid
concrete floor with a thickness of 280 mm versus a BubbleDeck floor of 230 mm which, due to its
lower weight, can give the same performance at identical floor load and span.
The percentages mentioned indicate which level of saving is achieved with the BubbleDeck floor
system.

Hoisting BubbleDeck elements on the site

12

Comparison of required quantities of raw materials and saving achieved by using the BubbleDeck floor
system versus a solid concrete floor
Solid concrete floor
(thickness 280 mm)

BubbleDeck floor
(thickness 230 mm)

sand

202 kg/m (100 %)

107 kg/m ( 53 %)

gravel

336 kg/m (100 %)

179 kg/m ( 53 %)

cement

90 kg/m (100 %)

48 kg/m ( 53 %)

water

45 kg/m (100 %)

24 kg/m ( 53 %)

reinforcement steel

26 kg/m (100 %)

21 kg/m ( 80 %)

plastic

----

0 %)

5 kg/m ( 100 %)

The savings on raw materials that can be achieved are substantial, both percentage-wise and in an
absolute sense.
The market volume of construction floors in the Netherlands is circa 29 million m on an annual basis,
of which about 12.5 million m consists of solid floors, including precast filigran slab floors.
From a constructive point of view, the BubbleDeck floor system can completely replace the entire
volume of this application. This means that in an absolute sense large-scale savings are achieved on
raw materials.
Absolute saving on raw materials in tons per year in the event of replacement of solid concrete floors and
precast filigran floors with the BubbleDeck floor system in the Netherlands
quantitative saving
in tons per year

sand
gravel
cement
water
reinforcement steel

1,187,500
1,962,500
525,000
262,500
62,500

corresponds with a saving

of
4,000 shiploads of sand and
gravel
12,000 truckloads of cement

But these savings are not all, for BubbleDeck floors also replace a substantial percentage of the
hollow core slab floors which, in the Netherlands, are used in a volume of approximately
9.3 million m on an annual basis.
The above mentioned figures can be extrapolated in a equal way to a European and even worldwide
scale. The absolute effect of the application of the BubbleDeck floor system on this scale leads to
tremendous positive effects in the framework of sustainable development.
The listed environmental advantages of the BubbleDeck floor system imply that the environmental
aspect is integrated into the entire process. This can be summarised as follows:
up to 50 % less raw materials required
proportionally less transport for the supply of these raw materials
proportional saving on energy required for extracting and manufacturing these raw materials
proportional saving on energy required for manufacturing the prefabricated system in the concrete
products factory
proportionally less transport due to the use of light and large elements
up to 50 % less consumption of concrete and therefore sand, gravel and cement at the
construction site
proportionally less crane capacity required, therefore less construction and noise hindrance
proportionally less energy required for processing the concrete at the construction site

13
proportionally fewer construction parts required, such as beams, columns and foundations, to
which the above-mentioned advantages apply as well
proportionally less energy required for demolishing concrete floors
proportionally less concrete granulate is produced which can be completely recycled for new
concrete applications
proportionally less transport required for evacuating this concrete granulate.
waste generation
The BubbleDeck floor system can be recycled completely with the techniques available on the market
and currently in use, when the final stage of its use has been reached. The concrete used can be reused for high quality applications in the form of concrete granulate, the reinforcement steel can be remelted into new steel and the plastic spheres can be recovered in their existing form and can be reused in new BubbleDeck floors or can be recycled into new plastic.
We wish to point out that the spheres currently used for the BubbleDeck floor system are already
made of recycled plastic.
Physical and chemical nature of the raw materials to be recovered:
concrete granulate :
stone-like material consisting of sand, gravel and cement
reinforcement steel :
steel alloy
plastic spheres
:
high density polyethylene (recycled)
All materials can be recycled for 100 %.

BubbleDeck elements placed on the site

emissions to air, water and land
The emissions in the production chain of a BubbleDeck floor are:
emission of exhaust gases from the cement kiln
emission of exhaust gases from the blast furnace during production of steel
emission of noise during extraction of sand and gravel
emission of noise during the manufacture of BubbleDeck elements in the concrete products
factory
emission of noise during transport by road and by water
emission of noise during assembly of the BubbleDeck elements at the construction site
All these emissions occur to a proportional extent with similar floor systems as mentioned above. The
saving on emissions when the BubbleDeck floor system is used will result in proportional quantitative
savings.
This means that the emissions will be reduced by approximately 50 %.

14
There are no harmful substances in the final stage of the life span.
The noise hindrance has already been mentioned under the emissions and will also be quantitatively
reduced by 50 %.
With regard to the requirements for the environmental permit it can be said that these requirements
relate especially to the actual production circumstances at the manufacture and extraction of the raw
materials and the manufacture of the BubbleDeck floor system in the concrete products factory.
Both the extraction and the composition of the raw materials and the manufacture of the BubbleDeck
floor system take place in sophisticated factories that meet all environmental requirements.

3. Please provide evidence of the expected contribution to be made by the new product or service to
the organisations overall financial performance (eg through sales performance data or credible
sales projections, with an estimate of the potential market size).

The floor system enjoys, since its recent introduction, a fast growing interest for application as a selfsupporting floor in buildings. The first major application is the Weenatower - the so-called Millennium
Tower - in Rotterdam, with 34 stores (25,000 m) and an overall heigth of more than 140 m. This tower
is finished in June 2000. In the Netherlands now more than 40 projects are under execution,
representing circa 150,000 m of construction floors.
In Belgium the first projects with the BubbleDeck floor system are expected to start in the second half
of 2000 with a volume of approximately 50,000 m.
In all these cases the BubbleDeck floor system has proved itself as financial concurrential in
comparison with traditional alternatives.
The BubbleDeck floor system has a very great economic potential. The above-mentioned technical
and economic advantages make that this floor system is very much in demand with project
developers, architects, structural engineers and building contractors. The replacement potential of the
market segment for solid concrete floors and precast filigran slab floors with the BubbleDeck floor
system is in the order of magnitude of 12.5 million m, this means a turnover of approximately
NLG 1,250 million per year in the Netherlands.
The profit margin is at a level of 5 to 6% of this turnover.

4. What commitment exists, within your organisation, to the further development and/or marketing of
the new product or service?

The BubbleDeck organisation is specially incorporated to introduce and to promote the application of
the BubbleDeck floor system. This is key-business of the organisation itself. The senior management
of BubbleDeck has therefore a clear commitment to the development and marketing of the product
and the service.
The key-strategy of the BubbleDeck organization concentrates on reaching the final goal that every
investor, architect, structural engineer and constractor considers the BubbleDeck floor system as the
ultimate floor solution leading to measurable environmental, social and economic benefits within the
framework of sustainable development.
Sharing knowledge and expertise with building partners, students and other organisations is a mayor
instrument to reach this goal.
The good environmental performance of the BubbleDeck floor system is an integral advantage which
is used in the marketing for the product. The direct environmental advantages are pointed out in
verbal contacts with customers, on the advice for the application and in the product information. The
advantages are also highlighted within the framework of sustainable building.
Through free publicity in the form of articles in magazines and newspapers, the floor system and its
good environmental performance favourable are brought to the attention of the government agencies
and the public.
Further on lectures are given to groups of customers, during congresses and courses and to students
of Technical Universities. Direct guidance is given to the study of approximately 40 students of several

15
universities concerning the design and execution of building projects with the BubbleDeck floor
system.
At last the publicity of the partipation in the national and European Awards for the Environment aims to
contribute to the green image of the BubbleDeck floor system.

5. What consumer need(s) are met by the product or service?

The following consumer needs are met by the application of the BubbleDeck floor system:
a decrease of building costs
an increase of consumer safety because the floor system has a high bearing and impact capacity
in comparison wiht traditional alternatives
a better environment because of the positive environmental effects of the BubbleDeck floor system.

6. What wider social benefits can be expected to arise from the production and consumption of the

product or service (eg improved quality of life; security of employment; local economic development;
consumer safety)?
The social benefits of the BubbleDeck floor system are as follows:
a substantial improvement of the working conditions at the building site as a result of the
application of big and light prefabricated floorelements and of less and lighter reinforcement bars
and of casting up to 50 % less concrete.

7. What potential is there for the innovative aspects of this product or service to be replicated
elsewhere?

The BubbleDeck floor system is world-wide applicable and has therefore a high replication potential.
At this moment preparations are going on to incorporate a European BubbleDeck organization with
national representatives in each country. Further on marketing developing contacts are going on in
Asia, Africa and North- and South-America.
The good environmental performance of the BubbleDeck floor system is an integral advantage which
is used in the marketing for the product.
And at last: the production techniques are applicable all over the world.

Office Tower Amsterdam: one of the projects under construction