Abstract
Timber envelopes provide multiple benefits in reducing both operational and embodied energy environmental impacts in construction. However, when poorly designed, they may incur in high risk of mould growth, affecting both building performance and occupant’s wellbeing. This research investigates the risk of mould growth associated with emerging timber envelopes in Australia, particularly looking at mass-timber and timber-framed wall typologies. The study compares the use of two mould growth assessment models: the VTT and the IBP biohygrothermal. Results provide relevant insights on both current design approaches and performance assessment methodologies. Whilst the study is based on Australian practice, conclusions have international relevance and applicability.
Highlights
Humans spend almost 90% of their time indoors [1,2], which is reflected in increasingly higher requirements for the indoor air quality (IAQ) provision, meant as a combination of chemical, physical and biological factors
This paper presents a thorough study of the hygrothermal behaviour of emerging timber-based envelopes in Australia
The research objective is twofold. It aims at providing guidelines for the best practice design of timber envelopes in Australia by analysing the impact of functional layers and wall design decisions on the overall wall build-up performance
Summary
Humans spend almost 90% of their time indoors [1,2], which is reflected in increasingly higher requirements for the indoor air quality (IAQ) provision, meant as a combination of chemical, physical and biological factors. Chemical factors are all those parameters that express the concentration of substances or particles in the air, such as PM10 or CO2. The physical factors refer to the environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, airflow, lighting and noise. Biological factors relate to the presence of organic or biological substances, such as pollen, dust, bacteria and mould [3,4]. Biological factors have only recently gained the attention of the building regulation bodies in the Australian context. In 2015, the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has conducted an investigation that shows how a third of the Australian building stock, both new and existing buildings, suffer from condensation and moisture-related problems [5]
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