Applied Research of the Hygrothermal Behaviour of an Internally Insulated Historic Wall without Vapour Barrier: In Situ Measurements and Dynamic Simulations

Andreotti, M.; Bottino-Leone, Dario; Calzolari, Marta; Davoli, Pietromaria; Pereira, Luísa Dias; Lucchi, Elena; Troi, Alexandra

doi:10.3390/en13133362

Cited by 32 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…In the case of heritage buildings, whose outer envelopes are totally protected, the incorporation of insulating materials on the outside (ETICS or ventilated facade) was ruled out completely. In these cases, insulation on the internal face is considered as the most adequate and recurrent alternative [22][23][24], despite the fact that the hygrothermal behaviour of historical walls with internal insulation is difficult to predict, as the physical characteristics of the materials used to build these walls are unknown [25,26]. However, there are buildings with a partial protection degree where certain actions on the outside of the facade are permitted to improve their energy efficiency, so long as this does not alter the textures, color, or image of the original facade.…”

Section: Approach To the Case Study Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advanced Intervention Protocol in the Energy Rehabilitation of Heritage Buildings: A Miñones Barracks Case Study

et al. 2020

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Bearing in mind that dwellings generate a high environmental impact, the aim of this research is to improve their energy efficiency. The incorporation of an insulating layer in the extrados of the building envelope is the most effective way of reducing the transmittance of a facade, eliminating thermal bridges, and optimizing its energy consumption. There is no doubt about the effectiveness of this solution in terms of thermal protection. However, this process collides with the preservation of the original composition of buildings with ornate facades. This article presents a protocol for the rehabilitation of ornate facades of historic buildings through the application of an insulating layer on the outside of the walls. The protocol shows that advanced techniques applied with an integrated approach permit compatibility between energy rehabilitation and the preservation of the original value. In addition to applying strategies of a high technological level, the protocol proposes a reflection upon a balanced intervention on ornamental elements, as well as the relationship between the degree of energy improvement of an ornate facade, and the degree of preservation of the original composition. A methodology is established that combines different avant-guard techniques and systems. These include capturing reality in 3D, the Building Information Model (BIM), monitoring, advanced manufacturing, and active and passive solution simulations.

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Section: Approach To the Case Study Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advanced Intervention Protocol in the Energy Rehabilitation of Heritage Buildings: A Miñones Barracks Case Study

et al. 2020

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“…In this case, the moisture content increased significantly-for example with the rockwool type of insulation. While this is understandable, for other types of material, such as EPS insulation, the moisture content showed very little difference under conditioned building environments and when assessing the impact of the thermal conductivity under constant and variable temperature with different levels of moisture content [40][41][42][43].…”

Section: Discussion: Challenging the Consensus In Authenticity-based mentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The provision of energy saving solutions and strategies for heritage buildings, for better environmental protection, has begun to receive wider attention, particularly since the 2010s [37][38][39][40][41][42]. Reducing energy consumption is an especially important challenge in the Gulf's climatic conditions.…”

Section: Investigating Environmental Sustainability Dimensions In Recmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heritage Reconstruction Planning, Sustainability Dimensions, and the Case of the Khaz’al Diwan in Kuwait

Sabri

Altan

AlGhareeb³

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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Although attempts for formulating sustainable approaches in heritage management have been ongoing since the 1980s, sustainability dimensions in the context of ‘reconstruction’ have remained an unexplored research area. By investigating the case of the ruined Khaz’al Diwan in Kuwait, an architectural heritage site in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage (WH) Tentative List, we explore and compare the roles of the ‘cultural continuity’ and ‘environmental protection’ pillars of sustainability in reconstruction planning. By employing rapid ethnographic surveying and case study methods, we first investigate the approach to ‘cultural continuity’ from the State’s stance and through local community perceptions. Albeit with nuances, the surveying revealed a preference for historicist reconstruction. However, the Khaz’al Diwan, like most of the heritage structures in the Gulf region, was originally constructed with coral stone, which is now protected under environmental laws. How feasible is the use of replacement materials in terms of sustainability perspectives that is also acceptable from heritage perspectives? Considering the high cooling loads required in this climatic region, we prioritized the energy performance of the construction materials of the external walls and the roof. Computer simulations based on scenarios testing same-type and replacement construction materials revealed how the latter could be considered as an alternative in a historicist reconstruction. The discussion revolves around the environmental and cultural parameters that are instrumental in reconstruction planning. This ultimately highlights how reconstruction policies must be shaped to redefine the role and scope of material authenticity to accommodate the local environmental and cultural realities in the wider Gulf region and Middle Eastern context.

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“…Several interventions, aimed to improve the performance in these buildings, can be identified, such as reducing energy losses through building envelope by adding thermal insulation [48], improving the airtightness [49,50], integration of new RES [51][52][53], or implementing monitoring systems [54][55][56][57][58]. All these kinds of intervention follow a common criterion, to maintain a balance among energy improvements while its heritage value is preserved.…”

Section: Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Energy Performance of Historic Buildings through Hygrothermal Assessment of the Envelope

et al. 2021

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The intervention on historic buildings through building energy retrofitting has become one of the current challenges of improving energy efficiency. Nonetheless, this building typology presents certain complexities. Among them, one of the most relevant is the protection on their façades due to the historical and/or artistic values of a given façade and, therefore, the addition of external thermal insulation is restricted. However, at the same time, in several of those buildings indoor surfaces do not present that architectural value, and then internal thermal insulation becomes a promising strategy for improving their thermal performance. Nevertheless, its application must be carefully evaluated to avoid possible pathologies caused by moisture problems. This paper aims to identify constructive solutions for interior insulation of walls free from moisture problems. For this purpose, a comprehensive analysis of a series of constructive solutions based on internal insulation has been carried out through hygrothermal simulations. The results show how the application of water-repellent impregnation becomes essential to guaranteeing the integrity of the envelope. In addition, the combination of insulations with or without inner membranes, such as smart vapor retarders or vapor diffusion barriers, has been evaluated detecting the solutions that best fit the objective. Finally, taking advantage of the great potential of 2D simulation tools, the post-processing of the data has been performed to apply the wood decay model, and thus assess the behavior of a very conflictive point in this type of intervention, i.e., the wooden beam-ends. The results in this critical point have shown how the application of the proposed constructive solutions becomes essential to guarantee the integrity of the element and how the application of traditional solutions could lead to a hazard that must be avoided.

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Applied Research of the Hygrothermal Behaviour of an Internally Insulated Historic Wall without Vapour Barrier: In Situ Measurements and Dynamic Simulations

Cited by 32 publications

References 31 publications

Advanced Intervention Protocol in the Energy Rehabilitation of Heritage Buildings: A Miñones Barracks Case Study

Advanced Intervention Protocol in the Energy Rehabilitation of Heritage Buildings: A Miñones Barracks Case Study

Heritage Reconstruction Planning, Sustainability Dimensions, and the Case of the Khaz’al Diwan in Kuwait

Improving Energy Performance of Historic Buildings through Hygrothermal Assessment of the Envelope

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