Warmth

Solid wood buildings have been built in cold climates for centuries, where their reputation for warmth is well known. The following graph from research done in Austria highlights the warmth of solid wood compared to well insulated timber frame, and well insulated brick.

Insulation Properties of Wood
(standard and massive as compared to brick wall)

Cooling period in hours (Kuba/-Thoma, technical university Graz 2001)

 

1 upright standard, mineral wool , U-value 0,16,
2 brick (porous),, 38 cm, plastered, U-value 0,34,
3 wood 100 wall 36,8 cm, wood boarded, U-value 0,22

Test protocoll:
Exterior temperature -10 °C, interior temperature +21 °C heating switched off. Time determined until interior wall surface temperature reaches 0°C.

 

This graph highlights wood's incredible ability to store heat or coolness, based on a combination of good insulation and high thermal mass.

For more infomation on storing warmth you can look at Organic Thermal Mass under Building Research