Ecological construction


Ecological construction is a fine art in which there are many aspects to consider in order to meet the high requirements. In addition to the use of building materials whose raw material extraction and use is environmentally compatible and which can be easily disposed of, this also includes the avoidance of substances that are harmful or toxic to the building biology.

The construction of the building should result in low energy consumption during daily operation, e.g. through efficient thermal insulation or high-quality heat-regulating façade plaster. The development of such building materials and solutions requires innovative minds, innovative planning and innovative companies with equally innovative products - like maxit.

With our maxit eco care products, you can set standards in the field of ecological building and promote the long-term value retention of your four walls. You can recognise them with the maxit seal of confidence "maxit eco care".

A new development from maxit is the maxit Strohpanel - a sustainable alternative to conventional building materials for drywall construction and insulation.

Ecological building has been a strong trend for several years. Many home builders and modernisers want to fulfil their sustainable awareness and at the same time maintain and secure the value of their property in the long term. And with the nice side effect that the indoor climate is improved and thus the quality of living is increased. One way to do this is with our products from the maxit pluscalc line.

Similar to lime, maxit pluscalc also has the extraordinary property of absorbing water vapour and releasing it into the room air with a time delay, thus sustainably optimising the room climate through this cyclical moisture regulation.

Studien haben ergeben, dass sich der menschliche Organismus bei einer Temperatur von knapp über 20 °C und einer relativen Luftfeuchte von 50 Prozent im absoluten Wohlfühlbereich befindet. Trifft (zu) feuchte Raumluft auf die Wand, nimmt maxit pluscalc diese auf, lagert sie bei optimalen Feuchtigkeitsverhältnissen der Raumluft stabil ein und gibt diese dann bei Bedarf an (zu) trockene Raumluft dosiert wieder ab. Danach ist maxit pluscalc bereit für eine weitere Aufnahme von Feuchtigkeit.

The aim is always to stabilise the relative humidity at a level of 50 percent. Tests with different parameters of room size, temperature and air humidity have shown that maxit pluscalc alone can absorb between 10 and 15 times more moisture - namely approx. 90 g/m² - than the air in the room around us could. Proud values that are worthy of note!

More information about maxit pluscalc:

The façade is the figurehead of a building. It offers protection, represents the building and gives it individuality. Nowadays, many homeowners attach importance to sustainable protection against algae, a heat-regulating energy-saving effect and optimal protection of the building fabric.

Our maxit solar product range for your façade system helps with this. These all-rounders among the facade plasters and paints are not only sensible in terms of energy, but also help to optimise the building envelope in terms of building physics, keep maintenance costs low and preserve the value of the property.

maxit solar was developed as an energy-saving product and has been perfected into a high-quality façade system over the last twelve years. The innovative composition of maxit solar facade plasters and paints, in which hollow glass microspheres largely replace conventional chemical and mineral additives, combines five essential quality characteristics:

  • sustainable resilience
  • ecological and health safety
  • energy-saving effect due to heat-regulating properties
  • long-lasting protection of the building fabric
  • consistent colour brilliance, whether renovation, refurbishment or new construction


Visually appealing façades over many years are the result, which can be seen in any case. Numerous test series and practical experience over the past 12 years have shown that maxit solar façade plasters and paints provide protection for significantly longer compared to conventional products.

Where conventional façade construction products use chemical additives to ensure algae- and fungus-free surfaces, we use the environmentally friendly and healthy building material glass in the form of micro hollow glass spheres as a long-term effective colour and plaster component.

See for yourself the protective principle of action as well as the heat-regulating properties and long-term benefits!

Where everything is done right on the façade, a long-lasting compatible interior paint is only logical. Without mould, without problems for allergy sufferers, tested and certified by the ECO-INSTITUT.

Interior design is an expression of an individual's attitude to life. Interior paints are of particular importance - after all, we spend 80 to 90 percent of the day indoors. High mechanical resilience, long-lasting, beautiful appearance and maximum health compatibility are particularly in demand. Breathable and dry wall surfaces for interiors from maxit are the solution.

Mineral, glass-based interior paint with an approximately 40 percent share of micro hollow glass spheres ensures an optimally balanced relationship between room temperature, air circulation and humidity regulation. The vacuum in the microspheres has a lasting insulating effect.

More information on maxit solar products:

The price of crude oil has multiplied in recent years! In almost 24 million German homes, too much money is literally being burned up. Most of the heating energy - around 40 percent - is lost through the exterior walls.

People often shy away from the presumed high costs of new construction or renovation and forget that the Federal Government of Germany promotes energy-efficient renovation and construction measures. Both through low-interest loans and subsidy programmes and especially for houses built before 1978 or for new buildings that exceed the energy-saving values required by the Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV).

maxit manufactures highly functional, modern façade systems that meet all the requirements set by the legislator for the insulation of façades. Durable quality is a matter of course for us.

With our external thermal insulation composite systems, you can save on heating costs, increase the value of your property, enhance your living comfort and contribute to environmental protection at the same time - for example with our maxit wood soft-fibre insulation system.

This ecological insulation system offers you many advantages: 

  • natural building material wood soft-fibre
  • ecological
  • health-promoting
  • soundproofing
  • permeable
  • biodegradable
  • recyclable
  • highly insulating
  • versatile façade appearance

For the selection of a suitable plaster system, various parameters should be considered. In addition to the required standard or quality norms, the plaster system should also be matched to the mechanical and structural-physical properties of the substrate as well as your individual requirements.

Our maxit purcalc product range offers you a wide selection of lime plasters for interior use - from lime plaster to pure lime base plaster to lime thin-layer plaster as well as other special plasters. Regardless of whether the application is planned for new or old buildings, we are guaranteed to have the right solution for your requirements.

You always benefit from the following advantages of our maxit purcalc products:

  • mineral
  • permeable
  • "Baustoffklasse A" (material class A)
  • humidity regulating


More information about maxit's lime-based plasters:

One building material, two uses

maxit Strohpanels are a chemical- and plastic-free alternative to conventional building materials. The sustainable straw carrier boards for lime plaster made of natural straw are ideal for drywall construction, while the ecological straw insulating panels can be used for interior and exterior insulation. The process for manufacturing these products is low energy and they are recyclable as well as industrially compostable.

 

Straw - the natural building material

For the production of maxit straw panels, maxit uses the traditional building material straw, which is available regionally and in large quantities as a by-product of agriculture - a decisive advantage, especially in times of raw material shortages. It is estimated that about 20 per cent of the straw produced in agriculture remains unused. And straw does not require addional arable land either, so it does not compete wie food crops.

For centuries, straw has been used in house construction due to its permeability and robustness. What is more, straw has an outer layer of silica which acts as a natural fire protection. During growth, straw binds carbon and thus reduces the impact of CO2 on the atmosphere. 1 tonne of straw stores about 420 kilograms of carbon - an incredible capacity which remains largely unexploited. The great potential of this material, mainly used in animal husbandry, has now been revived by maxit in the form of sustainable plaster carrier boards and insulating panels.

 

Advantages of straw as a building material 

  • Ecological, annually renewable natural product
  • Cultivated locally without requiring additional land
  • Readily available
  • Agricultural by-product
  • Culivation and processing are environmentally sustainable
  • Reduces CO2 in the atmosphere
  • Natural heat protection
  • Low waste disposal costs
  • Chemical-free
  • Resource-saving
  • Suitable for allergy sufferers
  • Industrially compostable

 

Kalk-Stroh-Putzträgerplatte - Straw carrier boards for lime plaster

maxit Strohpanels are also ideal for interior use as carrier boards for lime plaster and are an ecological alternative to plaster carrier boards made of gypsum. The plaster carrier boards made of straw can be installed and plastered like conventional interior plaster carrier boards. As they are made of renewable raw materials, they ensure a pleasant and helathy indoor climate. The combination of lime or clay plasters and straw enhances the feeling of comfort in your home and encourages green building methods. Straw is a robust raw material and in conjunction with the specially developed manufacturing process the resulting plaster carrier board is extremely resistant to age, dimensionally stable, and boasts a high level of durability. The boards should only be used on the inner sides of outer walls with prior constructional approval. They are not suitable for use in rooms with a high level of humidity.

 

Die Strohdämmplatte - Straw insulating panels

Completely toxin free and needing little primary energy but providing an excellent level of insulation - all this hardly seemed possible until now. Insulation panels based on maxit Strohpanel are 100 per cent renewable, ideal for interior and exterior use and will offer a particularly ecological option in future. For a direct comparison with traditional insulation methods based on polystyrene, the straw insulation was subjected to practical tests in cooperation with Hof University of Applied Sciences. Two test houses with extensive measuring technology ultimately delivered convincing results. maxit Strohpanel for use as insulating panels are expected to be available from mid-2022.

 

 

More about maxit Strohpanel

 

Marriage between glass and mortar

Supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, Berlin), maxit developed a completely new building material technology with the ecosphere insulation system. maxit initially applied this to an interior wall insulation, followed by a façade insulation based on mortar. Hollow glass microspheres function here as lightweight aggregates and provide the best values in terms of thermal insulation, weight reduction and long-term stability.

What makes it special is that the mineral material can be sprayed from a building material silo and is therefore not only completely joint free, but is also easy to apply.

 

Convincing strengths

  • For interior and exterior use
  • Long-term stability
  • Purely mineral
  • Recyclable
  • High energy efficiency
  • Low thermal conductivity
  • High heat storage capacity
  • Application from silo
  • Accustomed handling
  • Flexible usage
  • High heat and frost resistance

 

Lightweight, stable & ecological - taking nature as an example

In recent years, consumers have become increasingly aware of ecology as a social topic. Ever better insulated houses and the growing attention to products of natural origin are pointing the way. Mineral building materials are therefore also in particular demand in the area of façade and interior insulation. As the result of a long-term research project, a building material technology has now been developed that meets modern requirements. maxit ecosphere follows the example of nature, which avoids any form of overdimensioning. This is demonstrated, for example, in the formation of human bones, which consist of ideal, multicellular pore structures. Optimum technical parameters, coupled with the conservation of resources, was the guiding principle in the development of insulation materials. Tiny vacuum hollow glass spheres, so-called glass bubbles, which are used instead of sand or other lightweight materials, are the secret behind ecosphere. As resources become increasingly scarce, this is an enormous advantage. The yield of ecosphere also speaks for itself: one tonne of dry mortar produces around 8,000 litres of sprayed insulation on the construction site.

 

Advantages of hollow glass microspheres as lightweight aggregate

  • High compressive strength
  • Good rheological properties
  • Special thermal insulation properties
  • Conserves resources
  • No use of construction sands
  • Non-combustible (A1)

 

Thermal insulation plus heat storage

maxit ecosphere punktet mit hervorragenden Dämmeigenschaften und einer Wärmeleitzahl von λ10, dry, mat < 0,040 W/(mK) im Trockenzustand. Erreicht werden diese durch die mikroskopisch kleinen Hohlglaskugeln, die dank Vakuumeinschluss den Wärmedurchgang verzögern. Dadurch kühlt die Außenwand langsamer aus und trocknet entsprechend schnell ab: So sorgt ecosphere auf rein physikalische Weise dafür, dass Algen und Schimmel auf der Fassade kaum eine Chance haben.

 

For interior and exterior use

ecosphere can also fully unleash its climate-regulating advantages in the interior insulation of façades: in contrast to panel solutions, its sprayability ensures seamless application and eliminates the risk of cavities. This prevents waterlogging and the formation of mildew, keeping the air in the interior healthy at all times.

 

Insulation in one step - without installation errors

The mineral spray insulation ecosphere is applied - up to a thickness of 100 millimetres withour plaster lathing - classically by rendering machine and from the silo. Installation errors, like those that can occur with panel systems, are virtually eliminated thanks to its sprayability. Delivered in a silo, the dust load on the construction site is reduced and work steps are saved.

  • Processing from silo or bag
  • For interior and exterior use
  • Multi-layer processing "fresh in fresh" without waiting times
  • Familiar handling with commercially available insulating plaster equipment
  • Problem-free insulation of curves and unusual shapes
  • Prevention of cavities

 

More about maxit ecosphere