The inaugural ceremony for the New Quality building took place in July 2010 after less than one year of construction. Numerous invited guests were present at the event including the Deputy Minister of Housing and Urban Development, the heads of BHRC and the New Towns Development Corporation (NTDC), as well as a delegation of representatives of TU Berlin. The German embassy in Tehran made an official statement that was published on the embassy’s homepage.
Various technical innovations were included in the New Quality building compared to common residential buildings in Iran.
•    Shear Wall
•    Using autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks
•    Installing external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS)
•    Floating floor
•    Double glazing windows
•    Wall holder
•    Improvement the fitting

TU Berlin and the BHRC supervised the construction process of the New Quality building in close collaboration with the HIC. Construction supervisors from both BHRC and HIC were present at the construction site on a daily basis. A site supervisor from TU Berlin secured building and material quality through regular visits to the construction site, by providing information on material and procedures commonly applied in Germany, and by developing high quality solutions for several construction details - especially floating floors and façade details.

Research Findings

The diathermancy of walls in the New Quality building is significantly lower than in conventional Iranian residential buildings commonly made of brick. By combining reinforced concrete walls and AAC blocks with ETICS thermal insulation, diathermancy in the New Quality building is reduced to one third and one sixth of the regular value. The demand for heating and cooling energy is expected to drop accordingly once the building is in use.
Regular monitoring of the pilot project’s performance has been agreed and will be carried out based on the agreement between TU and BHRC.. Primarily the amount of energy and water consumption will be compared to existing residential buildings in order to measure energy savings.
Monitoring visits will also be used to control the structural substance of the building and to correct possible damages in a timely fashion.
A manual for technical execution of construction details is currently in preparation (see annex)
According to the Housing Investment Company the material and construction costs of the New Quality building amounted to approx. 6 million Rials (equivalent to 480 €) per square meter for a total of 1,600 square meters. A detailed analysis of all costs including planning costs and life cycle costs is envisaged for the upcoming project phase.  
Products Generated

1.    Building which fulfilled Iranian Standards
2.    Special products/constructions which never used in Iran in a standard residential building before
•    ETICS: External thermal insulation composite system
•    AAC: Autoclave aerated concrete
•    Floating floor  reduction of the sound transmission in the building
3.    Manual best practice (work in progress)
4.    short training workshop for workers and construction site managers
5.    selection of instruction sheets for selected construction work steps (work in progress – first results in autumn 2010, to be finished in 2011)