40 years Isokorb®Simply the original.

Eberhard Schöck developed the idea for today’s main product Isokorb® – a load-bearing thermal insulation element for minimising thermal bridges on cantilevered structural components (e.g. balconies).

After four years of development, the first Isokorb® Type M with concrete thrust bearing was launched on the market and presented to the curious experts at trade fairs in Germany and Switzerland. A revolutionary invention, Isokorb® offered the first solution to preventing thermal bridges in cantilevered reinforced concrete structures and the structural damage often associated with it.

As soon as sales began, technical documents were prepared to assist architects and planners.

Increasing demand and the high interest in Isokorb® led to the hiring of technical advisors in the field, who provided competent support to those involved in the construction work. Reliable delivery times were an additional service offering and production facilities were expanded to make sure these needs could be met.

The first approval was issued in Upper Austria, which paved the way for the sale of Schöck Isokorb® outside of Germany.

The thickness of the insulating element was increased from 50 mm to 80 mm to improve the building physics properties. A new steel thrust bearing was introduced to increase the load-bearing capacity.

The sales office moved from Upper Austria to Vienna and won orders for Isokorb® in the neighbouring markets of the Czech Republic and Italy. In addition, international sales were boosted via partner companies in northern and eastern Europe.

The very strong sales of Isokorb® led to the introduction of a three-shift working model in Baden-Baden. A Saturday shift was also added to meet the high demand and uphold the delivery promise.

By now, it was possible to install Isokorb® in Germany with a structural design type approval from the building authorities. A successful product, however, does not keep the market all to itself for very long. Due to the large number of thermal insulation elements that were now on the market, the DIBt (then IfBt) now demanded a general technical approval, that was awarded to the Schöck Isokorb® in December 1991.

Isokorb® conquered the markets in Eastern Europe. Expansion of the market in the Netherlands was secured with the addition of a Dutch technical approval.

Another milestone was reached: all Schöck employees celebrated the sale of 1 million Isokorb® models. 

A world first was launched on the market: Isokorb® KH for thermally insulated connections of cantilevered timber balconies to concrete floor slabs.

Developed especially for the requirements of the French market, a thermal break for interior wall insulation was launched – the Rutherma®.

The introduction of the Isokorb® KS enabled steel balconies to now be connected to reinforced concrete floors.

The stainless steel thrust bearing is replaced by an innovative thrust bearing with micro-steel fibre-reinforced, high-performance fine concrete (HTE module). This offered a further improvement in the thermal insulation of Isokorb®. At the same time, the thermal insulation element could now be installed more easily, thanks to the new shape of the thrust bearing.

With the introduction of the Isokorb® KST, there was now a solution for minimising thermal bridges on pure steel construction also.

In addition to the technical information, Schöck started to provide another design aid for the planner: design software for balcony connections. With the software, planners could now quickly and easily determine the correct Isokorb® for the most common applications.

The new generation, Isokorb^® XT, improved the already strong thermal insulation of the previous models by up to 30 percent. At the same time, the impact sound insulation also increased by about 50 percent. This was made possible in particular by the new 120 mm thick insulating element of Neopor®.

The Passive House certificate was presented at the BAU Trade Fair in Munich in 2009. This certificate confirmed that Schöck Isokorb® now met the high quality standards of the Passive House Institute.

The renovation of existing buildings was becoming more and more important. In response to this issue, Schöck introduced a new type of thermal break for cantilevered and supported balconies on existing buildings. Isokorb® R was designed for retrofits to replace or supplement balconies in renovation projects.

With the Isokorb® XT/T Type K-ID system solution, Schöck now offered a solution for anchoring prefabricated balconies, galleries or canopies onto new buildings. This enabled more planning flexibility in the construction process and precast plant production.

Schöck turned its focus to sustainability. In 2015, Isokorb® received an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for Type KXT50 from the Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V. (IBU), confirming that the product had been tested for environmental compatibility, constituents and production.

Schöck integrated the high-quality glass fibre composite, Combar®, into Isokorb®. As a thermally superior alternative to reinforcing steel and stainless steel, Combar® also contributed to sustainable construction.

With the ETA-17/0261, Isokorb® received a CE mark and could now be sold throughout the European Economic Area. The product performance was clearly defined and technically assessed by the European accreditation body.

The new product solution, XT/T Type K-U / K-O, was introduced, providing a thermally insulated and structurally stable connection with an up or down height offset, as well as easy installation. This addition marked a further improvement to the product range with an end goal of making barrier-free construction a reality.

Schöck was the first manufacturer to offer reliable impact sound characteristics for balcony insulation elements, according to the new, improved test method (EAD 050001-01-0301).

The success story began 40 years ago and continues into the future. At the BAU Trade Fair in Munich, Schöck presented its latest innovations for the Isokorb®.