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Mass timber panels as heat exchangers? – GreenBuildingAdvisor
jollygreenshortguy | | #2
Phrases like “thermal mass” and “breathing walls” tend to trigger some of the regular contributors on this website. This is for good reason, because the phrases and concepts behind them tend to be poorly tossed around. So expect a certain amount of skepticism in the responses.
That said, it looks to me like the people involved in that project are making a serious effort to explore the possibilities of their ideas and they appear to have a grounding in the work of reputable building science researchers.
So it comes down to whether they can actually develop systems that do the intended, and whether these systems are adaptable to current construction economics. Physical testing of full scale prototypes, which they are doing, is essential in order to prove the concept. Applicability to the building industry is a different kettle of fish. A lot more unrelated factors come into play, such as whether the aesthetics are acceptable to home buyers.
In Fernando Pages Ruiz’s recent article here on GBA “Three Ways to Build More Affordably”, he touches on the problem of “solutions” failing because they don’t meet home buyers’ aesthetic expectations, and the necessity for solutions to meet mainstream aesthetics if they are going to be adopted.
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/three-ways-to-build-more-affordably