Planning tools to avoid thermal bridges

To sum up, in the planning phase the following rules can help reduce thermal bridging:

Rule of avoidance: wherever possible, do not penetrate the insulating envelope.
Rule of penetration: if penetrating the insulation envelope is unavoidable, the resistance to heat transfer within the insulation layer should be as great as possible. This may mean using high-strength insulating materials, for example consisting of solidified foam insulation. Alternatively, the cross-section can be kept as small as possible and implemented in a high-strength, low-conductivity material, e.g. stainless steel anchors instead of aluminium.
Rule of junction: at junctions between building elements, merge insulation layers without gaps (transition over the whole area).

In general spot thermal bridges are less of an issue than linear thermal bridges. Therefore: reduce linear penetrations to structurally necessary spot penetrations.

Load-bearing insulation element for projecting balconies (source: Schöck Bauteile GmbH)