Experimental and Numerical Study of Application of Hemp in Building Envelopes with Special Reference to its Hygrothermal Properties

This research focuses on the experimental determination of key hygrothermal properties of fibrous hemp insulation and applying the data as inputs for numerical simulation tool to determine the hygrothermal behaviour of the material in timber frame thermal envelopes. Simulations have been run for envelopes with and without vapour barrier. The findings are then compared with the findings for stone wool insulation for similar exposures. This shows how hemp performs compared to conventional mineral wool insulation during service conditions. It was found that hemp performed as well as stone wool as an insulation material. However there is more risk of interstitial condensation in stone wool integrated thermal envelope at certain periods than in a hemp integrated thermal envelope.