Energy performance of a prefabricated timber-based retrofit solution applied to a pilot building in Southern Europe

Evola, Gianpiero; Costanzo, Vincenzo; Urso, Alessandra; Tardo, Carola; Margani, Giuseppe

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109442

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The XPS and the FG ensure a better performance, in terms of both mold growth and the moisture-dependent U-value, but they are not recommended for environmental sustainability reasons [2]. One can also observe that, although the FG and the XPS reach about the same RH-values in the critical point (outer side of the insulation) as the CORK, no mold risk emerges because they are not sensitive to mold growth, according to their low sensitivity class.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, the e-CLT and e-PANEL solutions, already introduced in [2], are applied to a pilot building cited in Catania (Italy). In order to assess the moisture-related risks, more specifically the mold growth and the increased heat losses, due to the humidity in the building materials, the solutions are simulated by means of the software tool Delphin 6.1.2, developed by the Technical University of Dresden [9].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The e-CLT and e-PANEL solutions applied to the walls of the pilot building described in [2] are composed-from the inner to the outer side-by 20 mm of cement plaster, 80 mm of hollow concrete blocks, 100 mm of non-ventilated air cavity, 120 mm of hollow concrete blocks, and 30 mm of cement plaster. Figure 1 represents the wall assemblies after the application of the retrofit solutions.…”

Section: Wall Assemblies and Hygrothermal Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As such, the e-PANEL improves only the energy efficiency in those portions of the envelope where the e-CLT cannot be applied, for instance, close to the windows. More detailed descriptions of these solutions can be found in recent papers, for instance in Evola et al [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies showed that both the e-CLT and the e-PANEL ensure a good thermal performance, with an expected reduction by about 66% and 25% in the energy demand, respectively, for space heating and cooling in a pilot building [2]. However, these results do not consider the increased heat losses, due to the moisture content accumulated by the building materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Moisture-Related Risks in Wood-Based Retrofit Solutions in a Mediterranean Climate: Design Recommendations

et al. 2022

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Nowadays, advanced hygrothermal simulation tools are available and they are widely used to predict moisture-related risks in building components, such as mold growth and increased conductive heat losses. This paper takes advantage of these capabilities to analyze moisture-related risks in the innovative wood-based retrofit solutions, developed in the ongoing H2020 “e-SAFE” project. In particular, simulations carried out through the Delphin software for the warm Mediterranean climate of Catania (Italy) allowed assessing the effectiveness of several insulating materials used in the wall assembly and the moisture-related performance determined by adopting either a waterproof membrane or a vapor barrier in convenient positions. The results show that the solutions with highly permeable and highly moisture-capacitive insulation (e.g., wood fiber) are mold free, but at the expense of increased heat losses by up to 12%, compared to dry materials). In some circumstances, foam glass or extruded polyurethane could be preferable, due to their high resistance to mold growth and their flat sorption curve. The vapor-open waterproof membrane applied to the outer side of the insulation is suggested, while a vapor barrier on the outer side of the existing wall worsens mold-related issues.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Wall Assemblies and Hygrothermal Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Moisture-Related Risks in Wood-Based Retrofit Solutions in a Mediterranean Climate: Design Recommendations

et al. 2022

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Cross‐laminated timber for seismic retrofitting of RC buildings: Substructured pseudodynamic tests on a full‐scale prototype

Kallioras,

Bournas,

Smiroldo

et al. 2024

Earthq Engng Struct Dyn

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This paper presents an experimental study on an innovative timber‐based retrofit solution for reinforced concrete (RC) framed buildings, with or without masonry infills. The intervention aims to enhance seismic resistance through a light, cost‐effective, sustainable, and reversible approach integrating energy efficiency upgrades. The method employs cross‐laminated timber (CLT) panels as infills or external retrofitting elements, mechanically connected to the RC frame through steel fasteners. The system is combined with thermal insulation for improved energy efficiency. The seismic performance of the proposed retrofit technique was assessed experimentally on a full‐scale building model at the European Laboratory for Structural Assessment (ELSA). The experiments included tests on two five‐story building configurations: a masonry‐infilled RC building as a reference and the same structure strengthened with CLT panels. Each building was subjected to unidirectional earthquake simulations of increasing intensity using the pseudodynamic (PsD) testing method with substructuring. The physical substructure of the hybrid model consisted of the first story of a two‐story mockup built and retrofitted in the laboratory, while stories two to five were simulated numerically. The paper discusses major observations from the tests, comparing the damage evolution and hysteretic responses of the two configurations. The experiments yielded promising results, showing that the suggested retrofit solution significantly increased displacement and energy dissipation capacity. The retrofitted building survived earthquake intensities up to 50% higher than the non‐retrofitted counterpart, exhibiting only slight structural damage. These pioneering experiments provide compelling data on the high effectiveness of the proposed CLT‐based retrofit system in enhancing the seismic performance of full‐scale RC buildings.

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Balancing preservation and utilization: Window retrofit strategy for energy efficiency in historic modern building

Yuk,

Choi,

Yang

et al. 2024

Building and Environment

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Energy performance of a prefabricated timber-based retrofit solution applied to a pilot building in Southern Europe

Cited by 15 publications

References 15 publications

Moisture-Related Risks in Wood-Based Retrofit Solutions in a Mediterranean Climate: Design Recommendations

Moisture-Related Risks in Wood-Based Retrofit Solutions in a Mediterranean Climate: Design Recommendations

Cross‐laminated timber for seismic retrofitting of RC buildings: Substructured pseudodynamic tests on a full‐scale prototype

Balancing preservation and utilization: Window retrofit strategy for energy efficiency in historic modern building

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