THE ROLE OF THERMAL INERTIA IN WOODEN BUILDINGS

For the next future, European Directives impose the realization of nZEB whose design process requires particular envelope characteristics. Among them, the thermal inertia has to be considered carefully, especially in Mediterranean climates, in order to reduce energy requirements in summer. The building thermal inertia is connected with the use of heavier and denser materials in order to increase the heat storage capacity. Of particular interest appears the study of thermal inertia in wooden buildings, more lightweight when compared with traditional structures, which are spreading worldwide due to their attitude to respect sustainability aspects. Recently, building manufacturer are implementing timber structures mainly adopting the platform frame system, where nailed OSB (Oriented Strand Board) panels are used in “sandwich” walls to constitute a lightweight envelope. The aim of this study is to assess the influence of thermal inertia on the energy behaviour of such system. The study will focus on the introduction of massive materials in the wall layering, in particular loose sand, for the realization of heavier wooden buildings. Dynamic simulations were carried out in the TRNSYS environment, by paying particular attention to the position of the massive layers in the structure, in order to evaluate the building energy consumptions and the attained indoor thermal comfort conditions.