Evaluation of capillary-active mineral insulation systems for interior retrofit solution

Interior insulation – Experimental investigation of hygrothermal conditions and damage evaluation of solid masonry façades in a listed building

“…The indoor excess of humidity by volume in the room with an insulated spandrel did not go beyond humidity class 2 "Offices, dwellings with normal occupancy and ventilation" [13,57]. If the inside and outside boundary conditions get worse, then the risk of moisture induced damage, such as mould [20], decay of wood, and frost can increase.…”

“…Previous research has focused on how to add interior insulation on old masonry structures and the performance of the insulation material [3,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Aiming for energy reduction and temperature increase of the thinnest parts of the façade, Odgaard et al showed that for a multi-storey building with 2-stone (468 mm) wall columns with interior rendering, up to 40 % of the possible U-value reduction by applying interior insulation to the entire interior masonry wall, could be achieved by insulating the spandrels [23].…”

Long term in situ measurements of hygrothermal conditions at critical points in four cases of internally insulated historic solid masonry walls

“…Internal insulation however introduces several risks to the existing construction, as the hygrothermal conditions in the original construction are changed. As a result, the risk of interstitial condensation is increased [10] [11] [12], and the drying potential inward is reduced as the permeability is reduced by the insulation [11][13] [14]. The increased risks of high moisture in the wall, inevitably leads to an increased risk of mould growth [15], and decay of the existing wood embedded in the structure.…”

Influence of hydrophobation and deliberate thermal bridge on hygrothermal conditions of internally insulated historic solid masonry walls with built-in wood

“…Previous research has focused on how to add interior thermal insulation to old masonry constructions and the performance of the insulation material [6,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Hygrothermal conditions in the original solid masonry wall are made worse when adding thermal insulation on the inside of constructions in cold climates, as the temperature of the original wall drops severely [15][16][17], increasing the risk of condensation at the original masonry surface behind the thermal insulation [15,18].…”