Earth, timber, fibre boards and insulation materials based on wooden and other natural fibres offer a variety of properties beneficial for eco innovative constructions that are able to improve the energy and resource efficiency of buildings.
Due to their porosity, natural building materials are vapour active and are able to buffer moisture. In combination with highly insulated and airtight but vapour permeable building envelopes, modern earth-timber constructions provide stable indoor humidity levels and can therefore be naturally ventilated while achieving highest energy efficiency standards. Experimental evidence suggests that monitored pilot buildings in Berlin do show healthy indoor air humidity levels (around 50%) in wintertime, while mechanically ventilated buildings demonstrate significantly lower values (around 25%), which have to be considered as uncomfortable and unhealthy.
The application of building materials being poor in chemical emissions, particularly volatile organic compounds (VOC) and radon, improves the indoor air quality further, so that intermittent ventilation twice a day will be sufficient to provide healthy indoor air quality. The air quality in critical rooms (e.g. small bedrooms), demonstrating a smaller air volume, should be monitored if appropriate ratios of room size to occupancy level cannot be realised.
Through night time ventilation in summer, vapour active earth-timber constructions provide evaporative cooling (humidity adsorption at night time and desorption during the day). As a result, indoor temperatures of earth-timber buildings range around 8 °C below the outside temperature peak, when an appropriate glazing ratio is reflected. The EU funded research project H-house is investigating various construction materials regarding water vapour adsorption as well as emission and absorption of harmful substances. Based on this investigation new wall constructions are designed to provide a healthier indoor environment.
Die größten Ressourcenverbraucher unserer Zeit sind die Gebäude oder Behausungen des Menschen sowohl in der Phase der Errichtung als auch im Betrieb. Der Gebäudesektor und damit auch die Architektur verbrauchen in Deutschland ca. 50 % der fossilen Energieressourcen und verursachen ca. 60 % des gesamten Müllaufkommens mit dem zugehörigen Bedarf an Ressourcen in der Errichtung. Öl, Stahl und Beton haben uns Glauben gemacht die natürlichen Begebenheiten bei der Gestaltung von Gebäuden wenig beachten zu müssen. Immer neue Techniken zum Betrieb und zur Klimatisierung von Gebäuden waren die Zukunft. Der Klimawandel und die Ressourcenknappheit sind Aufforderungen zur Veränderung. Das Voranschreiten der Reform des Bauwesens hat somit zentrale Bedeutung zur Erreichung der Nachhaltigkeitsziele und um unsere Gesellschaft zukunftsfähig zu machen. Klimaangepasste Architekturkonzepte und die Verwendung von klimaaktiven Naturbaustoffen werden einen wesentlichen Beitrag zum Ressourcenschutz erbringen.
Multi residential buildings, developed as highly energy-efficient and airtight are nowadays often fitted with mechanical Ventilation Systems as a way to overcome shortcomings and even defects tinked to indoor climate. The presented study investigates the potential of low-emitting. natural building materials with hygroscopic properties to contribute to a healthy and comfortable indoor environment, while reducing the need for mechanical Ventilation.
A selection of natural building materials suitable for application as internal partition walls has been investigated with regards to their water vapour adsorption capacity.
Special emphasis was placed on the investigation of modified earth plasters as well as wood-based materials, used as wall lining to provide increased adsorption capacities.
In addition, tests on materials emissions (formaldehyde, VOCs, SVOCs and radon) as well as adsorption tests of airborne pollutants have been conducted in specially-designed fest chambers. All tests were performed at either the material or the component tevel.
Overall results to date suggest that natural materials contribute to an improved indoor environment quality through an increased moisture-buffering capacity, low emissions and the potential to adsorb airborne pollutants, therefore reducing the need for mechanical Ventilation.
This paper presents the development of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) for façade elements with self-cleaning properties. For creating self-cleaning surfaces two different approaches are proposed. One approach is based on the photocatalytic activation of the external UHPC shell by incorporation of TiO2 particles. The second approach consists of the modification of the UHPC surface by micro structuring in combination with the application of hydrophobic agents to create durable super hydrophobicity. In the framework of the H-HOUSE Project funded by the European Commission the experimental investigations were performed with UHPC based on Dyckerhoff Nanodur® technology. The special properties of this material enable the precise reproduction of any micro structure without flaws. The current results obtained from laboratory and outdoor weathering tests are promising and demonstrate the feasibility of the approaches.